If the book of Mormon is a true account then why has it been changed over 3900 times since the original?
of 1830? Why would it need to be changed at all?
2008-01-03T16:25:24Z
The original version has been compared to newer versions. You can see some of the changes here http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/3913intro.htm
2008-01-03T16:39:57Z
gumby...you must think anyone who says anything negative about mormonism has an agenda. The original is still out there and has been looked at by many people who noted the changes. But for someone to even examine it for changes they must have an "agenda". So, what do you want...a person who is mormon as a source? They refuse to say anything negative about their church.
2008-01-03T18:00:46Z
Not true Mary. Examples of changes that are not grammatical: Second Book of Nephi, p.117; (1830): "and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and delightsome people."
Today: 2 Nephi 30:6: "and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and delightsome people."
First Book of Nephi, p.25 (1830):."...behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father!"
Today: 1 Nephi 11:21: "yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!"
First Book of Nephi, p.25 (1830): "Behold, the virgin which thou seest, is the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh."
Today: 1 Nephi 11:18: "...is the mother of the Son of God."
2008-01-04T08:54:50Z
Its funny how some of the Mormons responding to this question choose to attack the bible instead of answering the question.
2008-01-04T09:33:27Z
Phrog...they may be anti-mormon but the changes they documented are fact. So whatever their motives are are unimportant, just as yours are pro-mormon. So if you can give me good reasons for some of the major changes that would be great. I have a hard time believing printing errors could be the cause. Who would allow a testament of Jesus to be released without proofreading it??!! And why have most of the changes been done in the last 40 or 50 years?
Ruth2008-01-03T16:39:50Z
Favorite Answer
There have been big changes in the Mormon church since I attended 40 years ago.
It looks like some of the older Mormons would have guilt trips when they have to deny the changes.
The simplest answer is that changes and corrections have been necessary to correct copying and printing errors, and to clarify the message of this book of scripture. Corrections of this sort are normal whenever new editions of a book are printed. Mistakes such as typographical errors, misspellings, misplaced or dropped words, and ambiguities noted in the first edition are usually corrected in the next. Errors like these multiply when one language is translated into another. And if the source of the communication is divine revelation, the process becomes even more complex.
If you are truly interested, there is some good information here. http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_changes.shtml
and just as an fyi - utlm is an anti-mormon organization who have actively 'crusaded' against the LDS church for many years. It is run by Gerald (now deceased) and Sandra Tanner out of SLC Utah. I have met them some times, and while they truly believe what they say, it is tainted with their perspectives against this church, and is not objective.
EDIT: As I understand them, most of the changes have been done to help clarify given points. For example, the LDS do not believe in 'trinity', but believe instead in a Godhead. The language of Biblical and BoM scriptures obviously lends much to the confusion of this issue. Someof the changes were to clarify that. Others were because of translation problems - words whose meanings did not come clear in translation (just like some language problems of today require grammatical and word changes to maintain the meaning) like the word 'rent'. Lindsay really does have more info than I can put here, and I hope you will check out the link for better clarification.
The LDS church, unlike some other religions, while holding their leaders in great esteem, do not believe them to be unfallible. Grammatical errors, etc. happened. They have been, are being, will be fixed. Clarification will be offered. It's one of the things I enjoy about the LDS religion is that they seldom get so caught up in dogma as to ignore intent.
I know that the Book of Mormon has been changed over the years. The changes that have occurred are actually just grammatical changes. They still sell the original version online or at different Mormon merchandise stores. I have read the current version and the old version and made the comparisons. These changes are actually for the better. They make it a lot easier to understand what they are saying . None of the changes change the context of the text. It only makes it more eloquent. I know that the Book of Mormon has not been changed 3900 times but, that might be the number of verses that have been changed.
As had been said - many of the changes to the Book of Mormon are to correct gramaitical errors and mis-spellings, and some other mistakes that were made in the early pubilcations (by the printers as much as by the transcription), other changes were to the lay out to make it easier to read and use as a refence source, other changes were things like adding footnotes with cross referencing etc.
i would have to question where your source got the figure of over 3900 times, remember that just because something is one the internet doesn't actually mean that it is true!
Changing synonyms to avoid the appearance of evil doctrine was pretty darn important to me. Fixing spelling, grammar, and punctuation, adding verse markings... those are important also.
The reason why most people are mentioning the Bible is because there have been innumerable changes made to it. Heck, even the NIV DELETED 40 verses! There are 25 modern versions of the Bible in the English language, and all had previous revisions. Some even made doctrinal changes, others removed the words "blood of Christ" in all appearances. Why do you single out the Book of Mormon? No doctrinal changes have ever been made to it. This is what we are trying to find out from you, since I believe others answered your question and you rejected them for some reason.