This is the beginning of a blog dedicated to answering and discussing topics related to the Doctrine and Practices that the "Mormons", The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, believe in. I am not hired by the Church, nor have I been asked by the Church to run this Blog. I do this of my own free will and mainly because there are ALOT of misconceptions about the Mormon church. I know that many have 'heard' or 'seen' things about the Mormon people or the Church as a whole, and while some of these things are true, there are regrettably many that are not. One of the best ways to find out whether these things are true, is to ask a practicing Mormon. The Church has a website: Mormon.org where you may find out about the Doctrine and Beliefs of the Church as well as ask questions to a missionary (See the 'Ask a Question' link on the top of the mormon.org website). So in addition to that option, I hope to run this blog so that if there be any who would like to ask a member in a spirit of curiosity or clarification, that is why I am here.
The best way to begin would be to let you know of our core beliefs. These are called the Articles of Faith and came about because "The Prophet Joseph Smith first wrote them in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor, in response to Mr. Wentworth's request to know what members of the Church believed. They were subsequently published in Church periodicals. They are now regarded as scripture and included in the Pearl of Great Price" (lds.org).
1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
I have been taught these things my whole life, but amazingly, I continue to grow in my belief of these Articles of Faith the more I strive to live by them. One can only truly know of the truth of these things by 'trying it out', living by it. This is what Christ Himself taught during His Mortal Ministry in John 7:17, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." The only way to know of the truth of a principle or doctrine, is to 'do' it, live what it says. This shows God that you are willing to exercise your faith in something that you do not have proof of and we have His promise that He will let us know. I have personally experienced the wonderful gift of receiving an answer from God. It is one of the most prized gifts we can hope to attain. A Heavenly answer from a Loving Heavenly Father to one of His children. He knows us by name, and as Christ said in Matthew 10:30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered", He knows us even more than we know ourselves. The God I am taught to believe in and worship in this Church is a very Real, Loving, Kind, Just and Merciful God. He actively hears my prayers-every single one that I offer to Him, and He will answer if we are sincere, have faith and real intent- meaning that we intend to act upon the answer we receive whether that be to go to Church, repent, read the scriptures more; that we will put actions to our words (James 2:17-20).
8 comments:
Thanks for writing this! I have several questions I'd love to get your perspective on. I'll start with the Bible. From jefflindsay.com, someone posed the question of why LDS believe the Bible has errors... he wrote, "It is shear fantasy to think that God has eliminated all human influences to preserve one sole original manuscript and one perfect, complete translation into English that allows the Bible to be the perfect, complete final authority, possessing the very nature of God, perfection and completeness."
There are a few things that jump out at me about this, and I agree with what Jeff is saying, ultimately so that we don't worship the Bible but God; however, shouldn't the same disclaimer "as far as it is translated correctly" be applied to the Book of Mormon? It was translated by a man as well. Although, I have read from Mormon text that Joseph would translate a line aloud and the next line would only be revealed if the previous had been documented correctly. So, technically, it should have been impossible to translate it incorrectly, yet there have been many corrections to the BOM.
The second obvious thing that jumps to my mind when I read Jeff's explanation about the translations is that he says something about there being an original manuscript and one perfect English translation. I mean no offense by this, but the LDS church, although I know you send missionaries all over the globe, seem very high and mighty about America, like God loves us more, the rest of the world is just a bonus. Shouldn't there be a perfect translation for every language?
Margene, You bring up some great questions. It is so important to make sure that the words we read in a holy book of writ should have no imperfections. To answer your question regarding there being a perfect translation for every language, you’re right-there probably should be. I wish there was. It would be wonderful for every person in every country to have a copy of the Bible and Book of Mormon in their own language without any human errors in translation. However, to do this-make a perfect and flawless translation-I believe it would have to be done by the prophet of God for he is the mouthpiece for God, the one ordained to speak for Him as has been the method God has chosen to speak to us from the beginning. To set aside translation time for the prophet to translate the Book of Mormon in all languages across the world would take a considerable amount of time. The duties of a prophet are very large and many. A prophet is a man called by God to be His spokesman, teach of God and Jesus Christ, denounce sin and declare punishment, preach righteousness, call us to repentance, interpret scripture and administrate present Church policy. Because of the many demands on the prophet’s time, to take time to translate the scriptures into every language would leave him no time to see to these other important duties. I am sure the prophet would like to translate the scriptures into every language; however that is not what God has asked him to do. An earlier prophet of God, Moses, sat to judge the people but it became too tedious and left him no time to tend to other matters (Exodus 18:13-26). In this case, he chose other righteous men to perform the tasks themselves and Moses would only see to the “hard causes”. This is similar to the question that you asked. If the prophet saw to the translation of every language, he would be doing so from “morning unto the evening”. Good men are called instead to translate the holy writ into all languages and this is done to show that God does indeed love and care for every one of His people. They are in no way less fortunate because someone else translated it because it is not the words themselves which teach us of Christ. It is the Spirit which whispers to our hearts and minds the truth from the words which we read. The Spirit knows no language barriers and as long as a faithful and sincere seeker of truth reads the Book of Mormon and Bible and does so with real intent, he or she will not be left out of any of God’s blessings. The prophet today, Gordon B. Hinckley, loves every one of the people all across the world. He has personally visited a great many of them and has expressed many times his desire to visit every single one. There is one who can visit every single person on the earth and that is the Holy Ghost. He is sent to help us learn the truth and confirms it when we find the truth. Reading the Book of Mormon with sincerity of heart, faith and real intent will allow any person from any race on earth to know of the truth and God’s love for them. This is a promise given from the last prophet who wrote in the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:3-5). Christ Himself said that to know of the truth, one must live it, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:17). We believe that there is a living and caring God. He still loves and cares for us just as much as he did in ancient times, so He has called a prophet in our day. Gordon B. Hinckley is God’s prophet on the earth at this time and his words and works truly manifest a loving hand of a Father in Heaven. We show our love by following God’s commandments. One of those commandments is to read the scriptures. Have you ever read the Book of Mormon, Margene? You can get a free copy mailed to you by following this link: http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/basic-beliefs/the-restoration-of-truth/god-is-your-loving-heavenly-father and scroll to the bottom where it says: “Free Book of Mormon” and click on that link. I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions. It is obvious that you have researched quite a bit and are serious about your study. Above all, remember to include God in your search. He has all the answers to all our questions and is available to all of us if we search in the right way. Praying to Him for help and confirmation on whether the things you have read and seen are true will bring the answer from Heaven that is so personal and real and the only thing that will last through this life. I wish you the best in your continued study of the Book of Mormon and search for answers from God. He will answer you.
I just saw that the link I pasted to receive a free copy of the Book of Mormon did not show up complete. In case it doesn't work this second time, here it is step by step: Go to: mormon.org then click on "Basic Beliefs" on the top of the screen. Once there, scroll down to the bottom where you will see a link below the title 'Free Book of Mormon' that says "Request a copy". Click on that and it will take you to the site to receive a Free copy of the Book of Mormon. It will be delivered by missionaries who will share a message about Christ. If you would like to read the Book of Mormon online, you may also do that from the link below the one that says "Request a copy".
Thanks for the response; however, I'm not sure you answered my question about the "as far as it is translated correctly" disclaimer that is applied to the Bible, but not the Book of Mormon, which was translated by a man. Or further, that the BOM was by the very nature of its translation perfect, yet corrections have been made over the years.
Margene, I’m sorry if I didn’t answer your question. Let me begin by first clarifying that we believe the Book of Mormon was not translated by a man, but by a prophet. The Bible was translated by many times. With the English translation of the Bible, the first attempts were made in 8th century by The Venerable Bede who was translating John’s Gospel up to his death in 735. The Psalms was translated by Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne (d.709) and King Alfred (d.900). The first whole translation of the Bible is credited to John Wycliffe. He translated the Bible into English from the Latin version of the Bible (beginning in 1382). But William Tindale (b about 1490) is the one credited with the first translation of the Bible into English from the languages it was originally written. He studied first at Oxford and then at Cambridge. In 1525 Tindale was at Cologne printing a quarto edition of the New Testament in English translated from Erasmus’s edition of the Greek text. After he finished 10 sheets though, he was found out and an interdict was placed on his work, which forced him to flee to Worms to save his life. At Worms he published an octavo edition of 3,000 copies; a fragment of the one of the sheets printed at Cologne is now in the British Museum. The rest of the copies were burned when discovered. Tindale was still translating the Old Testament when he was put to death for heresy in 1536.
In 1530 Henry VIII promised his people the New Testament in their own tongue, so in 1535 Miles Coverdale finished the first complete English Bible, with the Kings permission. His version was translated out of German and Latin. After Coverdale, Thomas Matthew (real name John Rogers) issued the next edition. His came from Tindale’s New Testament and half the Old Testament with the rest coming from Coverdale’s.
In April 1539 the first edition of the Great Bible (also referred to as Cranmer’s) appeared. This Bible was described as “truly translated after the verity of the Hebrew and Greek texts by the diligent study of divers excellent learned men”. Unfortunately once Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, came to the throne, all those who were involved with the translation of the Bible into English. Coverdale barely escaped alive. Cranmer and Rogers were killed at the stake and many refugees barely escaped to Geneva. After Mary’s death, the Genevan Bible appeared in 1560 in England and Scotland. It became popular because of the use of Roman type, its division of the text into verses and copious notes, explanatory and controversial. It’s also known as the Breeches Bible and because of the Puritan feeling, it was objectionable to many English churchmen, so Archbishop Parker made a plan to revise the Bible by a joint labor of many learned men, mostly bishops. The revisers were told to follow “the common English translation used in the churches,” unless alteration were necessary, and to avoid bitter and controversial notes. The Bishops’ Bible was completed in three or four years and presented to Queen Elizabeth I in 1568.
Later, in 1604 after accession of James I, the Puritan party asked for a new translation, the king agreed. Work was assigned to the universities; the translation was to be then reviewed by the bishops and chief learned of the Church, presented to the Privy Council and ratified by the king. In 1607 six companies were appointed, consisting in all of 54 members. Meetings were held at Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminister. Most important of the rules laid down were: “the Bishops’ Bible was to be followed, and ‘as little altered as the truth of the original will permit’; the translation of Tindale, Matthew, Coverdale, Whitchurch (i.e., the Great Bible), and Geneva were to be used when they agreed better with the text than the Bishops’ Bible; the old ecclesiastical words (church, etc) were to be retained; no marginal notes were to be affixed unless for necessary explanation of some Hebrew or Greek words”. It took them four years to finish once companies were appointed, so in 1611 the new translation was published and given the familiar dedication to the king, as well as a preface written by Dr. Miles Smith (later Bishop of Gloucester) to set forth the principles and aims of the work (which unfortunately is omitted by most modern editions). This is known as the King James Version (KJV) and though at first was received with some reluctance; it later came to succeed all other existing English translations.
One other thing important to know regarding the translation of the Bible is how the books of the Bible were gathered and deemed as authentic (written by the true prophets and apostles of the Lord). The history of the process by which the books of the Bible were collected and recognized as sacred authority is almost hidden in obscurity.
Thanks for the plethora of information about Biblical translation; however, that still doesn't address my question about the BOM. I guess the one sentence about it not being translated by man, but prophet was your answer. Christians would argue that God has control over the translation of the Bible, so if I were to accept your answer about the BOM translation, then I would have to accept the Bible's method of translation. I'm also still wondering about the corrections made to the BOM after the "translation by the prophet" was "perfect" the first time. Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions.
im asking The living God to touch Trent.
Margene, again some good followup questions. Sorry I didn't quite answer your question. Let me start by addressing the corrections made to the Book of Mormon. On the Title Page of the Book of Mormon we find the prophet Mormon explaining what the Book of Mormon is and why it was written. After testifying that the Book of Mormon was written "to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever-And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations", Mormon makes sure that we know that the doctrine is true, but acknowledges that the mistakes upon the plates are not to be condemned as being faulty book or one not of God. He writes, "And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ". Mormon must have known that the word placement or grammar might not be correct, but he knew the seriousness of using a human error for finding fault in the Book of Mormon and disregarding the great treasure that it is. It truly is most precious above all that is precious. In the Book of Mormon we read of God's love, the greatest gift to mankind, and the many instances of God's love to his people on the other side of the world from those living in Jerusalem. God was mindful of those people too-His children on another continent. God granted His word to be given and written to those living in the Americas because they believed in Him, they had faith. This also helps us understand that although we do not live in Jerusalem during the time of the ancient prophets or during Christ's personal ministry on the earth, God is still mindful of us also. He called prophets of old and He calls prophets today. God does not change or alter His ways, this we can be certain. He called a prophet, Joseph Smith, to translate the Book of Mormon and send it out to the world. I have seen many people read the Book of Mormon for the first time and cry for thanksgiving of such a witness of God's love and concern for all His children, regardless of where they live or the time period they were born. This is what the Book of Mormon does and means. It means that God still loves us, all of us, and He still talks to us through prophets just as He did of old. The prophet today is now Thomas S. Monson and he speaks for God just like Moses did to the children of Israel. I hope that answers your question about the translation of the Book of Mormon, and I really hope you get the chance to read the Book of Mormon and pray about its truthfulness to God. One of my recent favorites is 1 Nephi chapter 11. Nephi heard his fathers vision and wanted to know the meaning for himself, so he decided to ask God, and God answered him. Chapter 11 is what he was told. I would really love for you to read that and tell me what you think. Thanks Margene.
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