The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to. A recent word change to the introduction of the book of mormon has once again brought attention to the question regarding the historical reliability of one of mormonisms most sacred texts. Yesterday while reading some interesting news stories on byus online newspaper, i came across an article they posted a few years back about changes made to the introduction in the book of mormon. Explorations in critical methodology, edited by brent lee metcalf. The first gathering of the book of mormon, including this preface, was likely printed by mid. Some anti mormon web sites have questioned how the book of mormon can be considered inerrant if the church feels free to change it in response to modernday scientific discoveries. Book of mormon editions 18301981 the encyclopedia of.
The geographical setting of the book of mormon is the set of locations of the events described in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is another testament of jesus christ and serves as a companion scripture to the holy bible. We just recorded a new episode of mormon matters podcast, wherein ronan and john hamer a nonmember of the lds church make a strong case that this dustup about the recent change to the book of mormon introduction page is actually much ado about nothing check it out if you have a sec. The book 3,9 changes in the book of mormon is a reproduction of an original book of mormon with the changes marked, and is available through us. The change seems to be intended to dispel common perceptions among lds folk leaders and members that native americans are reliably the descendants of the lamanites discussed in the book of mormon. Latterday saints believe that the book of mormon tells the story of israelites in the new world in 600 b. Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith.
In this study we will show that there have been at least 3,9 changes made in the book of mormon from the time it was first published in 1830. Widtsoe, council of the twelve apostles, in search of truth. It is a record of gods dealings with ancient inhabitants of the americas. A record of the jaredites, taken from the 24 gold plates, is included in the book of mormon as the book of ether. Studies of the book of mormon is a collection of essays written at the beginning of the 20th century though not published until 1985 by b.
Linguistics and the book of mormon limited geography model prophets and people list of book of mormon prophets jacob book of mormon prophet abinadi alma the elder alma the younger ammon book of mormon missionary king benjamin brother of jared samuel the lamanite captain moroni enos book of mormon prophet ether book of mormon prophet. While considering ways of making the precepts of this divine book more readily available to the reader, a distinguishing format was devised to isolate the doctrinal precepts and at the same time render this rather complex volume of scripture more. The context of joseph smiths statement in this regard is that a man can grow nearer to god by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of mormon has reignited discussion among some latterday saints about the book s historicity, geography and the descendants of those chronicled within its pages. It made a comeback in the early days of the lds church and has since gone away again. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Yet, with all of the digs and research ferguson and his team undertook, they failed to find one artifact to prove that book of mormon nephite cities, villages, or territories ever existed. The book of mormon is a record written by such prophets in the new world, covering with one more ancient exception a time span of 600 b. The prophet joseph smith declared a person would get nearer to god by abiding by the precepts of the book of mormon than by any other book. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon. Roberts 18571933, a general authority of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, which examine the validity of the book of mormon as a translation of an ancient american source.
Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new thinking. Pdf an introduction to the book of mormon rob bowman. So as you read the book of mormon, think of this book as a starter for study. The change, in the introduction, accommodates that belief. Royal skousen, a professor of linguistics at byu and a recognized expert of the textual history of the book of mormon, has identified 5,280 variations in all editions of the book of mormon.
He asked ammon if he knew of anyone who could translate them. My questions change each time i go through the scriptures anew. The original phrase and the changes are noted in red and bold for emphasisin the introduction to the book of mormon the second paragraph reads. The publication of the book was done under adverse circumstances, and there were a few errors, mostly. Smith is full of bluff and bluster, and is a fraud. Feb 20, 2011 how many changed has the book of mormon been changed. The published text of the book of mormon has been corrected and edited through its various editions. Faithful scholars have long explored the book of mormon s historicity, literary quality, textual history, reception, and more. Book of mormontextual changeswhy were these changes made. Basic bibliography on the book of mormon an introduction to.
Preface to book of mormon, circa august 1829, page iii. Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes. Polygamy was practiced sporadically by prophets such as abraham and jacob in the old testament. When adding biographies, be sure to add a category link seen at bottom of this edit page so that it will be added. This article traces its modern history from josephs accounts of discovering the gold plates from which the book of mormon is said to have been translated to the most recent editions of josephs translation. Changes to the bible in comparison most scholars agree that there are about 24,000 changes between 1611 version and the 1769 version of the kjv bible. An overview of the contents, modern publication, editions, sources and composition, theology, and lds defenses of the book of mormon.
The first title page adds the significant statement that the book of mormon has been carefully revised by the translator, and the second title page adds the name moroni, thus giving proper credit to moroni who wrote this introduction to the book of mormon. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of mormon has reignited discussion among some latterday saints about. I have a copy of the original book of mormon and all the changes in it next to it. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. What could cause such a miraculous change in eric you might ask. Again and again the book of mormon acts as a confirming, clarifying, unifying witness of the doctrines taught in the bible. Another change affirms the teaching that the book of mormon alone contains the fullness of the gospel. Book of mormon changes yesterday while reading some interesting news stories on byus online newspaper, i came across an article they posted a few years back about changes made to the introduction in the book of mormon.
Since its first publication in 1830, the book of moron has undergone thousands of changes. Explain that king limhi wanted to understand the writings that were engraved on the 24 plates. Nevertheless, this material is not presented as an apologetic work, neither is. The book of mormon, with its saga of righteous, white nephites and wicked, darkskinned lamanites, echoed these ideas. My introduction to the book of mormon or the book of mormon evidences page could also be consulted. If you remove the chapter headings, numbers, verse numbers, testimonies, explanations and the introduction, the book of mormon has more than 268,000 words. It carried a small story on a change to a single word in the introduction of the book of mormon in the recent doubleday edition. As always, inspired direction came from the scriptures publication committee of the quorum of the twelve. Nov 12, 2007 a small but significant correction is that the change is not on the title page, which was written by the hand of mormon himself, but rather the change is to change wording in the introduction to the book of mormon. Certainly the introduction of the current book of mormon is not there by mistake or accident.
For even more info on mormons aka members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints check out or mormon. Well, the book of mormon is a migration story, similar to the idea of the book of exodus in the old testament, except there are three migrations involved in this. An early mormon doctrine by jerald and sandra tanner. The book of mormon is one of the four standard works of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, which views it as a scriptural record. You must write a book with 239 chapters, 54 of them about wars, 21 about history, 55 about prophecy, 71 about doctrine, 17 about missionaries, and 21 about the mission of jesus.
This oct 1981 ensign article published about the new edition to the book of mormon says. Dec 05, 2009 268 videos play all the book of mormon audio full michael dinkelman life after death experience nde with steve gardipee, vietnam war story one of the best ndes duration. Debate renewed with change in book of mormon introduction. I witnessed a miracle this last march as i saw a boy whom we will call eric, age 15, change from a depressed, low selfesteemed, bitter teenager into a happy, confident, grateful, and testimonyfilled young man.
The bible, the book of mormon, and continuing revelation duration. We who created and who maintain this onomasticon work under the belief that the book of mormon is an ancient document whose cultural roots, except for the jaredite cultural legacy, reach back to 7th century bc judah. And he had caused the cursing to come upon the lamanites, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. It has been suggested by many that the announced change in the book of mormon introduction has everything to do with the dna challenge that the church has been facing for the past few years. Use them individually, in your family study, and in your sunday school classes to dive deeper into the doctrines presented in the book of mormon. Jun 11, 2009 a recent word change to the introduction of the book of mormon has once again brought attention to the question regarding the historical reliability of one of mormonisms most sacred texts. Two doesnt sound like a lot, but when you realize that there are only seven words in that sentence you realize that it has been changed over 25%. Instead of being the principal ancestors of american indians, lamanites are nowamong the ancestors of the american indians. Who wrote the 1981 introduction to the book of mormon. Book of mormon introduction latterday saints channel. Joseph fielding smith, the tenth president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, proclaimed. In early 1830 joseph smith published the book of mormon, a 269,938word volume that discusses religious themes intermingled with a history of ancient american peoples. There also have been many important changes in the pearl of great price.
Introduction cover page title page, translated from the book of mormon plates testimony of the three witnesses and also testimony of the eight witnesses preface to the 2016 edition preface to the 1908 edition books of the book of mormon first nephi second nephi jacob enos jarom omni words of mormon mosiah alma helaman third nephi fourth nephi. Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new. Their article reminded me once again of the arbitrary nature of the church when it comes to the. Yet, many changes in the text of the book of mormon can be detected when. Lds church members are taught that the book of mormon bom is scripture, as well as a true record of the inhabitants of the americas from about 2200 bc to 420 ad. The change in skin color is often mentioned in conjunction with gods curse on the descendants of laman for their wickedness and corruption.
The book of mormon made harder brigham young university. One word can speak volumes says this mornings salt lake tribune. An original first edition book of mormon has been photographed and is available for viewing at. The current introduction page in the book of mormon was not part of the original text translated by joseph smith jr. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library. You cannot be a college graduate, in fact, you can have only three years of schooling. Although there have been thousands of changes made in the book of mormon, the changes made in some of the other mormon books are of a more serious nature. The book of mormon, like the bible, contains a record of gods dealings with a part of the house of israel. Detractors of the book of mormon have often quoted this phrase as they point to changes in different editions of the book of mormon, punctuation or grammatical problems. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of.
Book of mormon since the first edition was published. To latterday saints there can be no objection to the careful and critical study of the scriptures, ancient or modern, provided only that it be an honest studya search for truth. The few significant modifications were made by the prophet joseph smith to clarify the meaning of the text, not to change it. New approaches to the book of mormon explorations in critical methodology edited by brent lee metcalfe. There is no universal consensus among mormon scholars regarding the placement of these locations in the known world, other than somewhere in the americas. Single word change in book of mormon speaks volumes the salt. This title page serves as an introduction and preface to all that the reader encounters in the book of mormon, and reflects mormon s own feelings about the work and the gospel of jesus christ. The lds church has changed a single word in its introduction to the book of mormon, a change observers say has serious implications for commonly held lds beliefs about the ancestry of. This is an invalid criticism, since only the introduction to the book of mormon was changed, not its actual text. A popular traditional view among many latterday saint faithful covers. That the book of mormon replaces the corresponding matthean passage is shown by the fact that the verses immediately before and after this section in the book of mormon correspond to the verses in the kjv before and after matthew 5.
This is the first published text of the book of mormon to show the precise history of many textual variants. Interestingly, in addition to the changes in the actual text of the book of mormon, there are changes that have taken place in the introductory material as well. It is not part of the original book of mormon, but only later added as a helpful introduction. Intro change in book of mormon spurs discussion deseret news. The book of mormon records that the nephites constructed houses of cement, 34 as well as temples, synagogues and sanctuaries 35 throughout their territories. The book of mormon is another testament of jesus christ and serves as a companion scripture to the holy. The story of the writing of the title page to the book of mormon, by sidney b. This narration of the book of mormon comes from the introduction preface, included in each book of mormon. Claiming it was scripture like the bible, in 1841 he declared it to be the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of our religion. Critics of the church have charged that the book of mormon is a fraud because thousands of changes have been made in it over the years, as if the church were trying to cover up blunders in joseph smiths work. Introduction to 3,9 changes in the book of mormon introduction covers how and why changes were made to the book of mormon after its first printing. A recently announced change in the book of mormons introduction, however, allows for a greater diversity of ancestry of native americans. The introduction was written and published at the same time additional.
Studies of the book of mormon, edited by brigham d. This series focuses particularly on theologythe scholarly practice of exploring a scriptural texts implications and its lens on gods work in the world. A popular charge of antimormons is that the church is guilty of fraud because of changes in the book of mormon, or that the book of mormon cant be true and divine because corrections have been made. This had been the generally held belief from the time that. Joseph smith said 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 its precepts, than by any other book, history of the church, vol. New approaches to the book of mormon signature books.
The book of mormon also spoke of sprawling ancient cities, none of which had been identified in the united states. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Book of mormon word change christian research institute. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. Changes in the book of mormon introduction juvenile. The arguments are rather weak but need to be dealt with. A small but significant correction is that the change is not on the title page, which was written by the hand of mormon himself, but rather the change is to change wording in the introduction to the book of mormon. A critical text of the book of mormon was published in 19841987 by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. But the truth is that there is more than one change in the book of mormon. Jun 14, 2008 the book of mormon claims to be another testament of jesus christ, 1 written by the prophet mormon. The book of mormon introduction, chapter headings, footnotes, modern year correspondences, supplementary materials, and the division into chapters and verses were added in the second half of the 19th century and in the 20th century, and those portions are not considered part of the revealed text of the book of mormon. Mormon leaders have been hard at work to change missionary expectations, temple rituals, and curriculum to improve the latterday saint experience for millennials and generation z. The church made the change in wording to the introduction to the book of mormon to remove the assumption, which inserted into the book of mormon introduction in the 1920s and not part of the original text, that all of the inhabitants of the americas were exclusive descendants of lehi.
Lds sunday school 2020, the introductory pages to the book. It claims to be the most correct book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book introduction in book of mormon. Nov 08, 2007 one word can speak volumes says this mornings salt lake tribune. Well, of course, there is no truth in that statement.
Dec 05, 2009 president nelson grandfathers visit from the other side of the veil and family history work duration. Recently, the lds church made a change to the introduction page of the book of mormon that has garnered much press. Invite a student to read aloud ammons response in mosiah 8. Clearly the book of mormon revises this passage, but it retains that part of the kjv which has been questioned by modern scholarship. It is true that when the book of mormon was printed the printer was a man who was unfriendly. The book of mormon is evidence that joseph smith is a prophet of god and that the gospel of jesus christ has been restored to the earth see the introduction. The annotated edition of the book of mormon has been formatted to enlarge our understanding of and give reverence to this unique and sacred volume of scripture. Small but important change made in book of mormon introduction. Book of mormon characters mormonism, the mormon church. The reader will immediately note that the text is structured and formatted differently from the versions currently in print. Some of the revelations that appear in the doctrine and covenants have had hundreds of words added to them. In the book of mormon, lamanites are described as having received a skin of blackness to distinguish them from the nephites. Mcconkie wrote the introduction in 1981 for the then new.
Another testament of jesus christ we hope that these lds sunday school discussion questions over the introduction pages of the book of mormon enrich your come, follow me study and increase your testimony of the savior. Dingers book begins with a foreword by stan larson that provides some historical background to larsons own earlier work on the book of mormon text, plus a list of significant textual changes that come, for the most part, from the current book of mormon critical text project. Mcconkie wrote the introduction in 1981 for the then new edition of the book of mormon and it contained this statement. The modern discovery, translation, and editions of the book. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints 165,852 views. New changes in the book of mormon introduction main.