Believers in Christ: On what basis do you deny the validity of the Book of Mormon?

The Book of Mormon is nothing more than a fictional account made up by Joseph Smith.

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. 4, page 461). Allegedly it was translated by the power of God. Nevertheless, it has some 4,000 changes in it. Some are mere spelling corrections, but others are significant changes. Why is this so if the book of Mormon was translated accurately by the hand of God? Why would the Mormon Church continue to change the work even after Joseph Smith's death?

In Bible school, I did a paper on the Book of Mormon. I came up with a couple of conclusions:

1. Even though supposedly translated into English in the 19th century, it is written in a style of English a few hundred years older. The only possible reason for using that obsolete English was to make it sound more like the KJV.

2. Although the Book of Mormon contains several books, purportedly written by different authors, all are in the same writing style, and some begin as if they were continuations of the previous book by a different author.

3. The proper names in the Book of Mormon are made to resemble anglicized Hebrew, so they would sound like such names in the Bible. But unlike anglicized Hebrew names in the Bible, the names in the Book of Mormon don't mean anything... they aren't Hebrew... just made to look like it.

Those three reasons were enough for me to deny validity to the book. A fourth reason came from LDS TV commercials. They call it "another testament of Jesus Christ." But there's a flaw in that: A testament is a will, and a person can only have one valid will. If another will is written, it invalidates previous wills. The New Testament superseded the Old Testament. Does the Book of Mormon supersede the New Testament? Jesus can't have two valid wills.

There is no biblical evidence that Jesus came to America. When Jesus rose from the grave, He ascended to His home in heaven to sit at the right hand of God. He awaits there until such time that God sends Him back to claim His own. The one time I attended a mormon service, 3 people got up to speak. Not one of them mentioned anything about Jesus. The first talked about what a great family man Joseph Smith was and how we are to be like him. The next talked about how much money should be given to the temple. The third said she knew that she would not die until she had seen the temple in Salt Lake City, UT.

Even if there was any truth to this cult, The Bible says that we are to be like Christ, not some man.

Atheists also deny the book of mormon.

No, the reasons are not the same as atheists. They deny there is any God. Both the Book of Mormon and the Bible are based on the fact of God, plus the sending into the world of Jesus, the Son of God, to redeem mankind from the curse of their sin.

The reason why Christians deny the validity of the Book of Mormon is that it contradicts the Bible by proclaiming another gospel and another Jesus. The Bible warns that even if an angel from heaven comes with a message (gospel) different to the one the Apostles proclaimed in the 1st century, those promoting that other gospel would be anathema to God. Joseph Smith claimed that an angel from heaven came to him with a message - the true gospel - and anyone comparing one with the other soon sees why the two are incompatible.

The Book of Mormon doesn't have the historical and archaeological proof that the Bible has. We have New Testament manuscripts that are over a thousand years old, as well as numerous quotes from the Bible in the works of other ancient authors. The Bible is abundantly well supported to be a historically reliable document.

By contrast, the Book of Mormon seems to have come out of nowhere in the 19th century. No historical background, no evidence, nothing to support it other than the word of Joseph Smith. And what ever happened to those golden plates, anyway?

"Aren't the reasons you have for denying it, the same reasons atheists have for denying the validity of your holy books?"

Good question. I personally don't *deny* the Book of Mormon's validity, but I'm not interested in reading it because the Bible satisfies me completely (which atheists can't claim) and warns me against heeding the teachings of false prophets. I'm not saying Joseph Smith *was* a false prophet but to me he looks like one.

Also, doesn't the LDS deny the deity of Jesus Christ?

"If any man, woman, prophet, teacher, or even angel comes to you preaching another Gospel, other than the one you recieved from me, may it be cursed." Apostle Paul.

Joseph Smith took the context of the Bible and twisted it to form a new religion. The book of Mormon is false. There is plenty of physical evidence backing the Bible in artifacts and geography, but nothing to back the Mormon belief of an advanced civilization in the America's. You were lied to. Joseph Smith was a liar. I'm sorry if you don't see things that way, but it is the truth.

I found it funny the other day that Fundie Christians fight Atheists on the fallability of science and evolution and things like that, but the MINUTE there is a question about the validity of the Book of Mormon, one of the first things they turn to is Science to show something about Lamenite DNA or carbon dating of ancient ruins or something else that they just bashed when an atheist used it. This section is entertaining.

I know the Book of Mormon is valid because I have read it and I did what James 1:5 told me to do and I got the wisdom I was looking for.

Oh the add or take away thing is my favorite. Fundies love to read the end of revelations but they ignore the EXACT same words in Deuteronomy. Regardless, John couldn't have known that there would even be a Bible and the order wasn't created until 300 years later. Also many Christian Bible scholars put some of Pauls epistles dating later than revelations chronologically. It is evident that John was talking about his book of Revelations not the Bible that wasn't compiled for centuries later. Fun argument to hear over and over again.

One more thing, which translation of the Bible is everyone talking about, The Greek translation, the Hebrew translation? There are so many different Bibles in the Book store and they are all different, which one are yall talking about?

Perhaps, to believe in the Holy Bible you can't believe in the Book of Mormon. Read the Revelations 22:18 in the Bible to find your answer.

I am in no way an expert in Mormonism - but from the little bit I have read.

There is a verse stating - As man is God once was. - Meaning God was once a man. when in the Holy Bible it is clearly stated God is the same yesterday, today & tomorrow the Alpha & the Omaga, the first and the last.

The Bible also states there will be no marriage in heaven. Yet Mormons have come up with Celestial marriages and numerous wives in their heaven.