I have chosen to first focus my efforts on the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They have four texts they consider sacred: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. I will be going through the Book of Mormon first with occasional side quests into the Doctrine and Covenants. I will be quoting passages of these texts followed by my own commentary. First, I have some observations regarding the introduction to the Book of Mormon and the statements of the witnesses.
Introduction: “Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said, ‘I told the brethren 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 its precepts, than by any other book.”
Here, we see Joseph Smith clearly elevates himself and the Book of Mormon above the authority of the Holy Bible.
“We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if this book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3-5).
First: God cannot be called “Eternal Father” if he was once a man, as Joseph Smith taught. Being a man means he had a beginning, which means he can’t be eternal. Second: This is not a reliable test of knowing if something is true or not. Anyone can declare that God told him that something is true. Feeling something in our hearts is no way to determine objective truth. On the contrary, Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it? (NASB)” Furthermore, we are instructed in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (NASB).
The Testimony of the Three Witnesses: The end of the statement is “And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God.”
This will contradict later teachings that God was once a man, achieved godhood, and bore spirit children, including Jesus. I will be curious to see when the belief in the Trinity changed to the current LDS understanding of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Check back in tomorrow. We’ll be going through 1 Nephi!
The Inquisitive Christian 