The Mormon’s Scriptures The Mormons have four books as their scriptures: The Bible, King James Version The Book of Mormon The Doctrine and Covenants The Pearl of Great Price. Where did the Book of Mormon come from? Joseph Smith said that an angel showed him The Book of Mormon written on gold plates in a language he called Reformed Egyptian. He said that he translated these plates into English. The gold plates are not now available, and the Reformed Egyptian language is not known. The reason to believe that the plates once existed is faith in the word of Joseph Smith and elevn others who said they had seen them. The Book of Mormon Introduction includes two statements. One, called “the testimony of the three witnesses” contains the names of the tree. The second, called “the testimony of the eight witnesses” is followed by eight names. Both groups say they have seen the plates. The first three witnesses, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris are given the most importance because Doctrine and Covenants predicted: “I will give them power that they may behold and view these things as they are; And to none else will I grant this power…” The Book of Mormon predicted: “…The book shall be hid from the eyes of the world that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that the three witnesses shall behold it by the power of God… And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God…” 2 Nephi 27:12-13. Doctrine and Covenants 17:2 says, “And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them.” By their faith, then, and by the power of God, the witnesses were to have viewed the plates. Can we believe their witness? All of the three witnesses wee excommunicated later by the Mormons themselves who accused them of lying, stealing, cheating, counterfeiting, defrauding, and persecuting the Mormons. One of the Mormon’s own scriptures, Doctrine and Covenants, has God saying that it was not wise to send Oliver Cowdery, the first of the three witnesses, carrying church money and a manuscript unless someone who was honest went with him (69:1). He later became a Methodist, and was eventually buried by a Methodist minister. Another Mormon scripture went so far as to call Martin Harris, another of the three witnesses, a “wicked man” and a liar. The Mormons themselves do not want to accept a later witness of David Whitmer: “In June 1838, God spoke to me again b His own voice from the heavens and told me to ‘separate myself from among the Latter Day Saints.” From time to time, Whitmer belonged to at least three Mormon splinter groups. It seems clear that the three witnesses did say they saw the plates. The question is, can we believe their testimony? If we can believe the statements of Joseph Smith and other Mormon leaders about the character of these three witnesses, particularly the accusations that they were liars, there is little to give us faith in The Book of Mormon other than the word of Joseph Smith himself. We will leave the three witnesses with Joseph Smith’s blessing: “Such characters as McLellin, John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris are too mean to mention; and we had liked to have forgotten them.” David Whitmer, one of the first three witnesses, wrote that all of the second group of eight witnesses who were then living, except Joseph’s father and two brothers, had left the Church of Latter-day Saints. Research sources: 1. Book of Mormon, Mormon 9:32; 1 Nephi 1:2; Mosiah 1:4; 2 Nephi 27:12-13. 2. An Address to All Believers in Christ, p. 27 as cited in Cowan, Mormon Claims Answered, 1997, p. 46, available from Utah Christian Publications, PO Box 71052, Salt Lake City, Utah 84171. See also Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Mormonism, Shadow or Reality, 1982, p. 52-53. 3. Doctrine and Covenants, Introduction to Section 10, plus verses 1, 6-7, 13, 21. 4. An Address to All Believers in Christ, p. 27, as cited by Marvin Cowan, Mormon Claims Answered, p. 46. 5. History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 232. 6. An Address to All Believers in Christ, p. 28, as cited by Marvin Cowan, Mormon Claims Answered, p. 47. (Source: Answers To My Mormon Friends by author Thomas F. Heinze.)
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 18:27:24 +0000
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