Beyond Mitt's Underwear: Part 2: The Scriptures
Mormon Scriptures are the various books which have the authority and power of the Holy Ghost. The King James Bible is considered authoritative, although Joseph Smith also “translated” his own version of the Bible. Smith’s “translation” was not actually a translation from a different language, it was more of a series of edits to the King James Bible as he attempted to "study out” its vagaries and contradictions.
The Book of Mormon is the most prominent scripture of the LDS church. It was engraved in reformed Egyptian writing onto plates with the appearance of gold in AD 385 before being buried in Wayne County, New York by Moroni the prophet. Smith discovered the book after its location was revealed by either Prophet Moroni in Angel form or Angel Nephi, depending on which version of Smith’s explanation you read. Reformed Egyptian was illegible to Smith so he translated the gold plates using the Nephite Interpreters (magic glasses that the angel gave him) and folk magic “seer stones” called Urim and Thummim. The portion of the plates that Smith translated describes events from 3100BC-421AD in which Israelite settlers leave Jerusalem and sail in boats to America. After Laman rejected the teachings of his father Lehi, the settlers split into the righteous Nephites who fight against Lamanites who God cursed with dark skin for their wickedness, corruption, and unbelief. The BoM describes battles between the groups, ending with the Lamanites destroying the Nephites, and continuing to live in America as Native Americans. (Joseph Smith attempted to sell the commercial copyright to this story to Canadians in 1848.) Nearly all of the Book of Mormon's historical or factual claims are either unverifiable or fail verification. Modern genetics has shown that Native Americans aren’t descendants of Israelites, modern archaeology has found no evidence of the Nephite civilization or any of the historical events that Smith described, and there is no consensus even among Mormon geographers as to where most of the events described in the Book actually happened. After translating the plates Smith returned them to Angel Moroni, so Smith could not show them to his followers, although Smith once told Lemon Copley that he met "an old man dressed in ordinary grey apparel", who "said he was going to Chargel" and claimed to have a monkey in a box, which was actually a disguised Angel Moroni offering to return the Gold Plates. While he still had them Three Witnesses claimed that an angel showed them the plates, the Eight Witnesses (Smith’s father, two of Smith’s brothers, four Whitmers, and Hiram Page) claimed that they saw and handled the plates, and one witness (Witness Martin Harris via Stephen Burnett) claimed that “the eight witnesses never saw [the plates] & hesitated to sign that instrument for that reason, but were persuaded to do it”. All three of the Three Witnesses were eventually excommunicated from the Church by Smith, as were the four Whitmers, although none of them recanted their witness. After Joseph Smith’s murder, the splinter group leader James Strang claimed to posess the Brass Plates of Laban which he showed to Seven Witnesses. From these he he translated the Book of the Law of the Lord which is not accepted as gospel by mainstream LDS members even though five of Smith’s Eight Witnesses - three Whitmers, Martin Harris, and Hiram Page - accepted them. Strang also discovered, translated, and showed the Voree Plates to witnesses who accepted them, although many people today claim they were fabricated from a tea kettle.
The Book of Mormon does not actually contain much doctrine. LDS doctrine is mostly contained in the Pearl of Great Price, “a selection of choice materials touching many significant aspects of the faith and doctrine” compiled by an early church historian from “items ... produced by the Prophet Joseph Smith”. The modern version contains three main parts. The Book of Moses is an excerpt from Smith’s translation of the Bible, containing supplementary information about Moses. The Book of Abraham is an account of Abraham’s early life and visions. It was translated from authentic Egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition in 1935, and includes three facsimilies of the original papyri written in actual Egyptian, which modern Egyptologists say has nothing to do with anything in Smith’s “translation”. The Articles of Faith are from a letter written by Smith in 1842 which has very little to do with modern Mormon doctrine and practice. There’s nothing about temples, ordinances, earthly or celestial marriages, sealings, the eternal family, kingdoms of glory, the keys of the priesthood, the preexistence, Zion, the apostasy or restoration, obedience to the prophet, or godhood / divine potential. The Articles' admonition to be “honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men” remains an excellent summary of the character of most Mormons I’ve known.
The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of 138 revelations (not in chronological order) given to Joseph Smith by God, plus two “Official Declarations” given to the modern Church. Some are famous revelations like mandatory polygamy. Some are retracted entries, like the 1832 Chapter of Rules for Marriage among the Saints which had previously stated “we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband”. Some are extremely specific commandments given to people who Smith knew. The two “official declarations” of the church declared that they weren't teaching polygamy (although they were), and let black people hold the priesthood starting in 1978.
Part 1: Apostasy and Restoration
Part 2: Scriptures
Part 3: Preexistence, Creation, and Plan for Salvation
Part 4: Ordinances
Part 5: Temple Recommend and Splinter Groups
Part 6: My Thoughts
The Book of Mormon is the most prominent scripture of the LDS church. It was engraved in reformed Egyptian writing onto plates with the appearance of gold in AD 385 before being buried in Wayne County, New York by Moroni the prophet. Smith discovered the book after its location was revealed by either Prophet Moroni in Angel form or Angel Nephi, depending on which version of Smith’s explanation you read. Reformed Egyptian was illegible to Smith so he translated the gold plates using the Nephite Interpreters (magic glasses that the angel gave him) and folk magic “seer stones” called Urim and Thummim. The portion of the plates that Smith translated describes events from 3100BC-421AD in which Israelite settlers leave Jerusalem and sail in boats to America. After Laman rejected the teachings of his father Lehi, the settlers split into the righteous Nephites who fight against Lamanites who God cursed with dark skin for their wickedness, corruption, and unbelief. The BoM describes battles between the groups, ending with the Lamanites destroying the Nephites, and continuing to live in America as Native Americans. (Joseph Smith attempted to sell the commercial copyright to this story to Canadians in 1848.) Nearly all of the Book of Mormon's historical or factual claims are either unverifiable or fail verification. Modern genetics has shown that Native Americans aren’t descendants of Israelites, modern archaeology has found no evidence of the Nephite civilization or any of the historical events that Smith described, and there is no consensus even among Mormon geographers as to where most of the events described in the Book actually happened. After translating the plates Smith returned them to Angel Moroni, so Smith could not show them to his followers, although Smith once told Lemon Copley that he met "an old man dressed in ordinary grey apparel", who "said he was going to Chargel" and claimed to have a monkey in a box, which was actually a disguised Angel Moroni offering to return the Gold Plates. While he still had them Three Witnesses claimed that an angel showed them the plates, the Eight Witnesses (Smith’s father, two of Smith’s brothers, four Whitmers, and Hiram Page) claimed that they saw and handled the plates, and one witness (Witness Martin Harris via Stephen Burnett) claimed that “the eight witnesses never saw [the plates] & hesitated to sign that instrument for that reason, but were persuaded to do it”. All three of the Three Witnesses were eventually excommunicated from the Church by Smith, as were the four Whitmers, although none of them recanted their witness. After Joseph Smith’s murder, the splinter group leader James Strang claimed to posess the Brass Plates of Laban which he showed to Seven Witnesses. From these he he translated the Book of the Law of the Lord which is not accepted as gospel by mainstream LDS members even though five of Smith’s Eight Witnesses - three Whitmers, Martin Harris, and Hiram Page - accepted them. Strang also discovered, translated, and showed the Voree Plates to witnesses who accepted them, although many people today claim they were fabricated from a tea kettle.
The Book of Mormon does not actually contain much doctrine. LDS doctrine is mostly contained in the Pearl of Great Price, “a selection of choice materials touching many significant aspects of the faith and doctrine” compiled by an early church historian from “items ... produced by the Prophet Joseph Smith”. The modern version contains three main parts. The Book of Moses is an excerpt from Smith’s translation of the Bible, containing supplementary information about Moses. The Book of Abraham is an account of Abraham’s early life and visions. It was translated from authentic Egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition in 1935, and includes three facsimilies of the original papyri written in actual Egyptian, which modern Egyptologists say has nothing to do with anything in Smith’s “translation”. The Articles of Faith are from a letter written by Smith in 1842 which has very little to do with modern Mormon doctrine and practice. There’s nothing about temples, ordinances, earthly or celestial marriages, sealings, the eternal family, kingdoms of glory, the keys of the priesthood, the preexistence, Zion, the apostasy or restoration, obedience to the prophet, or godhood / divine potential. The Articles' admonition to be “honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men” remains an excellent summary of the character of most Mormons I’ve known.
The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of 138 revelations (not in chronological order) given to Joseph Smith by God, plus two “Official Declarations” given to the modern Church. Some are famous revelations like mandatory polygamy. Some are retracted entries, like the 1832 Chapter of Rules for Marriage among the Saints which had previously stated “we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband”. Some are extremely specific commandments given to people who Smith knew. The two “official declarations” of the church declared that they weren't teaching polygamy (although they were), and let black people hold the priesthood starting in 1978.
Part 1: Apostasy and Restoration
Part 2: Scriptures
Part 3: Preexistence, Creation, and Plan for Salvation
Part 4: Ordinances
Part 5: Temple Recommend and Splinter Groups
Part 6: My Thoughts