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The Mormon church has a slick advertising blitz to market its cult. In those advertisements they offer what
they refer to as "another testament of Jesus Christ." That supposed "other testament" is The Book of Mormon.
Is the Book of Mormon "another testament of Jesus Christ," or is it another fraud upon people in the name of
religion?
The Mormons claim to believe the Bible as God's Word. With this in mind, let us see what the Bible teaches. Peter writes, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Pet. 1:3). God, by His power, gave unto the apostles all things that pertain to life and godliness. The apostles wrote these things down (Eph. 3:3-5) so we can have the same understanding as they. Thus, in the Bible, we have all that we need. We do not need "another testament," The Book Of Mormon. Paul writes, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Paul makes two claims about the Bible which are important in this study. God, through Paul, states that through the proper use of the Bible an individual can be perfect. The word perfect is from the Greek word "artio" (artios) which means complete or fitted. Is The Book Of Mormon or "another testament" needed if the Bible alone makes us perfect? The answer is no! The other point is that the Bible furnishes us to all good works. If the Bible furnishes us to all good works, then what good works can The Book Of Mormon reveal to us that is in addition to what the Bible gives? The answer is, nothing! Again, we see that we do not need "another testament" of Jesus Christ — The Book Of Mormon — we have everything we need. We must also consider the apostles and Christians during the first century. Did they have access to The Book Of Mormon? They did not! According to The Book Of Mormon, "the last of the Nephite historians, sealed the sacred record, and hid it up unto the Lord, to be brought forth in the latter days, as predicted by the voice of God through his ancient prophets. In A.D. 1827, this same Moroni, then a resurrected personage, delivered the engraved plates to Joseph Smith." Thus, before 1827 The Book Of Mormon was unknown to man. The question naturally arises: Were the apostles and early Christians saved? If they were saved then we do not need The Book Of Mormon to be saved today. Those in the New Testament period were saved — they did not have The Book Of Mormon. Therefore we do not need The Book Of Mormon. It is not a book that one needs today to be saved. It did not come from Christ. Another important aspect in considering whether The Book Of Mormon is "another testament of Jesus Christ" is to look at the book itself. The Mormons, today, claim that the book is inspired of God. Yet, The Book Of Mormon claims that the writers wrote from their own knowledge, not God's knowledge. "Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians. And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge." (1 Nephi 1:2-3; see also 1 Nephi 19:6; Jacob 1:2; 7:26; Mormon 9:31-33). It is so filled with mistakes that it finally gives a blessing upon those who "shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it" (Mormon 8:12). Surely, we cannot seriously consider this the work of God and God-inspired men. Consider the difference between that and God's Word recorded in the Bible. "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37). "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Quite a contrast! There are also absurdities within the book — absurdities that would not come from an all-knowing, all-wise being as God. We find one such absurdity in Ether 2:16-25 where God instructs Jared to build a boat or barge. They were to build these barges "according to the instructions of the Lord." The bottom, sides, top, and when the door was shut, were all "tight like unto a dish." Jared has to remind God that the people need air or they would die, and they will need light to steer the barge. To provide the air in this barge God, instructs Jared to make a hole in the top and bottom of the barge and when they need air to unstop the hole. When water starts coming in the hole they are to stop it up so they will not die in the flood. Compare this with God's instructions to Noah in the building the ark (Gen. 6:14-16). The author of the Bible is obviously not the simpleton who wrote the "other" so-called "testament of Jesus Christ." If this book is from God, it would be free of mistakes. When one studies The Book Of Mormon, he finds many mistakes. One glaring mistake is the birth-place of Jesus. Alma 7:10 declares, "And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God." This has Jesus being born in Jerusalem. All who know the Bible know that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1), not Jerusalem. Surely, a book from God would not and could not make such an obvious mistake. We find another glaring mistake in Alma. Because of these individuals belief in Christ, "And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come" (Alma 46:15). The Book of Mormon has this taking place in 73 B.C. in America. Notice that he speaks of people belonging to the church and being called Christians. Yet the Bible teaches that Jesus had not established the church at this time. Jesus taught that He would build (future tense) the church (Matt. 16:18). Luke records that the name "Christian" was first used in Antioch (Acts 11:26). This is just another of the many blunders in The Book of Mormon. This book is not from God. It is an addition to God's Word (Rev. 22:18; Gal. 1:6-9; 2 John 9) and must be rejected. |