~~  Why Give Away An Unfaithful Document?  ~~

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)

WILL THE MORMON MISSIONARIES TELL PEOPLE HOW UNRELIABLE THE BIBLE IS?

Now that the Mormon Church is featuring the Bible in public advertising, will the missionaries tell people about the defects in it? Will they tell people what is taught by top Mormon leaders and Mormon Scriptures? Some of what is said is shown just below:

The Mormon Church in its general public statements about the Bible today usually cites its own Articles of Faith.

We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly;... (Articles of Faith, #8, in the Pearl of Great Price).

Christians should not have any difficulty with this statement, as there are indeed some truly poor and bad translations. The Jehovah's Witness's New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is one example. But is this what the Mormons really have in mind? In examining this question we will let top LDS leaders speak for themselves. Speaking more frankly to their own members recent Mormon leaders have expressed themselves this way:

The most reliable way to measure the accuracy of any biblical passage is not by comparing different texts, but by comparison with the Book of Mormon and modern-day revelations. (Church News, June 20, 1992, page 3, a letter from the First Presidency (Presidents Benson, Hinckley, and Monson) dated May 22, 1992, to all members of the Church)

Thus, instead of using the Bible to evaluate Mormonism they would reverse this and use Mormonism to judge the Bible. When speaking frankly, Mormon leaders view the Book of Mormon as more reliable than the Bible:

Unlike the Bible, which passed through generations of copyists, translators, and corrupt religionists who tampered with the text, the Book of Mormon came from writer to reader in just one inspired step of translation. ("The Keystone of Our Religion", Ensign, by President Ezra Taft Benson, January 1992, page 5).

The Book of Mormon itself claims important parts of the Bible have been removed.

And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of a great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away....because of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen...because of the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb... (1 Nephi 13:26, 32, 34; also see 2 Nephi 29:2-3, 6-8)

 

I [Joseph Smith] believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.327)

 

Conference met according to adjournment, and Elder D. Pettegrew attended to prayer, and delivered a discourse on the subject of the Book of Mormon. Elder R. Ritchey followed him and showed the situation of our Bible, after passing through the hands of the Mother of Harlots. (Times and Seasons, 5:726)

It was not until February 16, 1832, however, after a conference in Amherst, Ohio, that Joseph said it was apparent to him, "from sundry revelations which had been received," that "many important points touching the salvation of man had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled." (Preface to D&C 76.) (Meek and Lowly, by Neal A. Maxwell, p.73)

Further, it is well known that the original manuscripts of the Old Testament have passed through numerous hands before they reached the form available to us. They were copied by hand. Inaccurate as well as accurate, dishonest as well as honest, unbelieving as well as believing scribes have had access to them. Material may have been added or taken away; mutilations may have occurred; through misunderstandings, or by deliberate act, errors and changes may have crept into the text. In the words of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors." (Evidences and Reconciliations, John A. Widtsoe, p.132)

 

Far more important, however, are the errors of another kind willful, man-made changes. And we know by divine authority that such deliberate changes were made....On the other hand, the planned changes resulted from man's deliberate altering of the original text and meaning to serve his own purposes and not to preserve the words of the Lord. (See Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:41.) (The Inspired Revision of the Bible, Merrill Y. Van Wagoner, pp.5, 24)

 

The fact that some changes were made in a particular passage or chapter does not mean that all needed corrections were given even in that portion of the Bible. Important changes were made in several thousand verses, but there are yet thousands of passages to be revised, clarified, and perfected. After his work of revision, the Prophet frequently quoted parts of the King James Version, announced that they contained errors, and gave clarified translations -- none of which he had incorporated into his prior revisions of the Bible. (Mormon Doctrine, Bruce R. McConkie, p.384, under Inspired Version of the Bible)

 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are commonly called the synoptic gospels because they all deal with the same general part of the Master's ministry, and therefore their accounts more easily can be set side by side for purposes of study and analysis. But in the synoptic gospels and in John there are some instances of apparent disagreement on the chronological order of events and on the actual teachings that were given. Apparently also the same truths have been taught in substantially the same language to different hearers at different times and places. Many changes and errors have, of course, been made in all of the gospel accounts since they left the hands of the original inspired authors. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Bruce R. McConkie, 1:66)

 

It is abundantly proved by various learned writers, that the Greek copies of the New Testament are awfully corrupted in almost every text....What shall we say then, concerning the Bible's being a copies of the scriptures sufficient guide? Can we rely upon it in its present known corrupted state, as being a faithful record of God's word? We all know that but a few of the inspired writings have descended to our times, which few quote the names of some twenty other books which are lost, and it is quite certain that there were many other inspired books that even the names have not reached us. What few have come down to our day, have been mutilated, changed and corrupted, in such a shameful manner that no two manuscripts agree. Verses and even whole chapters have been added by unknown persons; and even we do not know the authors of some whole books; and we are not certain that all those which we do know, were written by inspiration. (Divine Authenticity of Book of Mormon, Orson Pratt, No. 3 (1850), pp.46-48)

Because of the above thoughts expressed by Mormon leaders and Mormon Scriptures will the inside cover of the Bibles being handed out have some kind disclaimer on the inside cover? Perhaps such a disclaimer might say:

John Farkas -- visit Berean Christian Ministries for additional Mormon studies.