How True is 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 it’s precepts, than by any other book. DHC 4:461, November 28,1841”

–Joseph Smith Jr. The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 194
 

Examining the Book of Mormon

 

If the original 1830 Book of Mormon was inspired then why were there so many errors, changes, additions and deletions, when compared to current editions?

 

If the book were true and inspired why would it need so many changes?  A couple named Gerald and Sandra Tanner have counted 3913 changes in the Book of Mormon, excluding punctuation changes.

 

In the Mormon Article of Faith #8,

 “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.”

Why is the phrase, “as far as it is translated correctly”, only added there to describe the Bible and not the Book of Mormon, when in fact the Book of Mormon has had far more translating errors than the Bible.

 

The King James Version, from 1611 went untouched, undisputed, and remained steadfast for 300 years. When the new modern Bible versions began to appear, they, in fact were the ones containing errors due to the fact that they were from different manuscripts, which have been proven to be corrupt, and not the originals. 

(see last page for details on references)

 

It is very apparent that just as soon as someone starts to teach another gospel, another Jesus, or another doctrine than that which we have received, they need a handy little version of their own to be able to convince people of their version of the gospel.

Errors In The Book

of Mormon Content

 

Why does the Book of Mormon mention Bellows (1 Nephi 17:11), Brass (2 Nephi 5:15), Breast Plates & Copper (Mosiah 8:10), Iron and Silver (Jarom 1:8), Gold and Silver currency (Alma 11),  and Steel Swords (Ether 7:9)????

No evidence indicates that these items existed during Book of Mormon times.  

“Metallurgy (science or technology of metals) does not appear in the region until about the 9th century A.D.”  Tom Ferguson

 

Why does the Book of Mormon mention the following animals: Ass, Bull, Calf, Cattle, Cow, domestic Goat (the Nephites claimed to have found the domestic goat!), Horse (the horse plays a major role in the Nephite and Lamanite societies), Ox, domestic Sheep, Sow, Swine, and Elephants.  None of these animals existed in America during Book of Mormon times. However, why are none of theses animals mentioned  when they are the one’s that did actual exist during that time? The Coatimundis, Deer, Jaguars, Tapir, Monkeys, Sloths, Turkeys, etc……????

Why are Greek names such as Lachoneus, Timothy, Jonas, and Alpha & Omega in a book that should have absolutely no Greek influence?

 

The Nephi Golden Plates

 

Why did the angel take the plates back to Heaven? Don’t they belong to man? Wouldn’t their existence prove that Mormonism is truth?  God allowed the Jews to carry the 10- Commandments for several centuries in their original form, written by the finger of God.

How did Joseph Smith carry home the golden plates and how did the witnesses lift them so easily

? (They weighed about 230 lbs.  Gold, with a density of 19.3 weighs 1204.7 lbs. per cubic foot. The plates were 7” x 8” by about 6”. See Articles of Faith, by Talmage, p. 262, 34th ed.)

Why were the witnesses only allowed to see the plates with “spiritual eyes”? If the plates were real, why would it take faith to see them?

(Doctrines & Covenants 17:2)

How could he have translated without the plates, as his scribes said, if he was doing a literal translation of a physical object?

 

Similarities of the KJV of the Bible

 

Why does the Book of Mormon use old KJV type English at a time when it was not currently used?  Why is about 1/8

th

of the B of M copied directly from the 1611 KJV when it was supposed to have been written some 1200-2000 years before the KJV existed?

 

How do you explain the fact that Joseph Smith copied from the KJV but deleted the italicized words in the KJV? Maybe because he figured out that they were not in the original??? Here is an example, Isaiah 6:5;

     Then said I, Woe

is me! for I am undone; because I am

a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: ……the words is & am are deleted in the Book of Mormon.

 

Why are statements that Paul said referred to before his time? (i.e. Paul said, “Death where is thy sting” in Alma 22:14 and Mormon 7:5)

From the KJV,  I Cor, 15:54-55.

Alma 22:14,

   And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.                                  cont……..

Mormon 7:5,

   Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.

 

Why do the words of Malchi 4:1 appear in 1 Nephi 22:15 over 100 years before Malachi wrote them?

Malachi 4:1

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

 

1 Nephi 22:15,

15 For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.

 

Why do so many stories seem like exaggerated borrowings from the Bible?

Examples:

 

  • Ammon killed six sheep rustlers with a sling (Alma 17:36), vs. David killing Goliath with a sling (I Samuel 17:50)

 

  • The Lord instructs Noah to build the Ark (Gen.6:14), vs. The Lord instructs Nephi to build a ship (1 Nephi 17:8), and the Jaredites to build barges (Ether 2:16) in which he brought flocks two of a kind just like Noah.

 

  • Aminadi deciphered writing on the wall (Alma 10:2-3), vs. Daniel and writing on wall (Dan. 5)

There are many more errors, questions, and similarities. The B of M is only an imaginary book imitating the Word of God.