The book of mormon is a second witness, confirming the validity of biblical doctrine and verifying the divinity of christ through the inspired words of other sheep in christs fold see john 10. Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new. This change makes the book of mormon introduction compatible with current dna evidence and acknowledges the fact that lehis group likely intermingled with. This had been the generally held belief from the time that. This is the first published text of the book of mormon to show the precise history of many textual variants. As you can see, the book of mormon is a changing document. Book of mormon word change christian research institute. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. To obtain copies of their work please write to utah lighthouse ministry p. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421.
Get unlimited access to the best stories on medium and. A careful check of the list of changes shows there is not one change or. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of. Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of god. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to. The original text betrays its new england origin in many ways, from inconsistent spelling to incorrect use of tenses and number, as well as incorrect usage of jacobean english. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the. Introductory pages of the book of mormon part 1 come.
Another change affirms the teaching that the book of mormon alone contains the fullness of the gospel. And in 2007 the book of mormon introduction was amended to suggest that the lamanites. The primary research for this information was taken from the book 39 changes in the book of mormon by jerald and sandra tanner. Comparing the 1981, 2004, and 2006 book of mormon introductions.
Ancient perspectives on enos, jarom, omni, and words of. Yes its in that introduction which was added in the 1981 version. Some of the many changes in the book of mormon by matt slick 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. Mormons change references to blacks, polygamy the changes are the first since 1981, and deal specifically with the churchs original ban on black priesthood ordination and polygamy. Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new thinking about an ancient people. The introduction to the book of mormonbook of mormon teacher resource manual. In early 1830 joseph smith published the book of mormon, a 269,938word volume that discusses religious themes intermingled with a history of ancient american peoples. Why were textual changes made to the book of mormon over the years after it was first published.
However, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon. Yesterday while reading some interesting news stories on byus online newspaper, i came across an article they posted a few years back about changes made to the introduction in the book of mormon their article reminded me once again of the arbitrary nature of the church when it comes to the validity of joseph smiths claims on anything from his first. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints 165,852 views. Changes in the book of mormon, the most corrected book in the world.
Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes. Book of mormontextual changeswhy were these changes made. Some of the revelations that appear in the doctrine and covenants have had hundreds of words added to them. Yesterday while reading some interesting news stories on byus online newspaper, i came across an article they posted a few years back about changes made to the introduction in the book of mormon. The minister just smiled with a big ivegotyounow smile and. Yet, many changes in the text of the book of mormon can be. The crowning event recorded in the book of mormon is the personal ministry of the lord jesus christ among the nephites soon after his resurrection. Contains a 16page introduction by jerald and sandra tanner which shows that the changes are not in harmony. The first title page adds the significant statement that the book of mormon has been carefully revised by the translator, and the second title page adds the name moroni, thus giving proper credit to moroni who wrote this introduction to the book of mormon. Instead of being the principal ancestors of american indians, lamanites are nowamong the ancestors of the american indians. Changes in the book of mormon introduction juvenile instructor. 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 the book is true. The reader will immediately note that the text is structured and formatted differently from the versions currently in print. So here are 4 ancient insights into these four short booksone for each book.
It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Readers of the book of mormon, however, will see light at the end of this dark historical tunnel and a silver lining around these dark clouds of destruction. Before the actual chapters of the book of mormon begin, there are several items which have been added by way of introduction and testimony. In 1981 the lds church published a new edition of the book of mormon, making a number of additional changes in the text. So, in this video, i want to talk about textual changes to the book of mormon and why they are not a. New changes in the book of mormon introduction main. Although there have been thousands of changes made in the book of mormon, the changes made in some of the other mormon books are of a more serious nature. Single word change in book of mormon speaks volumes the salt. The original phrase and the changes are noted in red and bold for emphasisin the introduction to the book of mormon the second paragraph reads.
Why did the church modify the introduction to the book of mormon. The introduction printed in the 1981 edition of the book of mormon. The few significant modifications were made by the prophet joseph smith to clarify the meaning of the text, not to change it. A critical text of the book of mormon was published in 19841987 by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. The only changes between the 1830 and the 1981 editions in the words used. Royal skousen, a professor of linguistics at byu and a recognized expert of the textual history of the book of mormon, has identified 5,280 variations in all editions of the book of mormon. Changes in the book of mormon introduction juvenile. Its impossible to fillin all the gaps, but as with other parts of the book of mormon, i find that looking at ancient perspectives brings additional light on this brief section of the nephite record. Dingers book begins with a foreword by stan larson that provides some historical background to larsons own earlier work on the book of mormon text, plus a list of significant textual changes that come, for the most part, from the current book of mormon critical text project. There have been thousands of changes to the exact text of. Notice the phrase or out of the waters of baptism has been added.
Debate renewed with change in book of mormon introduction. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. It is a record of gods dealings with ancient inhabitants of the americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of mormon has reignited discussion among some latterday saints about. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of. Joseph originally taught that jesus and the father were the same. In this study we will show that there have been at least 3,9 changes made in the book of mormon from the time it was first published in 1830. Contains a 16page introduction by jerald and sandra tanner which shows that the changes are not in harmony with the original text. There also have been many important changes in the pearl of great price. Juvenile instructor changes in the book of mormon introduction.
Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith. Understanding the nature of the thousands of small changes in the book of mormon may be helpful and interesting. The changes to the 20 edition of the scriptures, available in print in. Since its first publication in 1830, the book of moron has undergone thousands of changes. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of mormon has reignited discussion among some latterday saints about the books historicity, geography and the descendants of those chronicled within its pages. Lds is it true they are changing the intoduction to the. Heres a response on the textual changes in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is the keystone of our religion. The church made the change in wording to the introduction to the book of mormon to remove the assumption, which inserted into the book of mormon introduction in the 1920s and not part of the original text, that all of the inhabitants of the americas were exclusive descendants of lehi. Textual changes to the book of mormon in 1837 and 1840 by stan larson, sunstone, fall 1976, pp. Mcconkie wrote the introduction in 1981 for the then new edition of the book of mormon and it contained this statement. Box 1884 salt lake city, utah 84110 or visit their website. Linguistics and the book of mormon limited geography model prophets and people list of book of mormon prophets jacob book of mormon prophet abinadi alma the elder alma the younger ammon book of mormon missionary king benjamin brother of jared samuel the lamanite captain moroni enos book of mormon prophet ether book of mormon prophet.
Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindians. The introduction to the book of mormon was not a part of the original plates. A photoreprint of the original 1830 edition of the book of mormon with all changes marked compared to a 1964 edition. From the introduction of the book of mormon we read.
Posted in book of mormon changes, tagged book of mormon introduction. Book of mormon editions 18301981 the encyclopedia of. The book of mormon itself gives the overwhelming impression to the reader that its people are central to the colonization history of the americas. Joseph fielding smith, the tenth president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, proclaimed.
The annotated edition of the book of mormon has been formatted to enlarge our understanding of and give reverence to this unique and sacred volume of scripture. Key passages on deity in the original 1830 text of the book of mormon were changed in the 1837 edition to reflect joseph smiths changing doctrine of deity. To understand this world, historians strive to identify significant changes that occurred at that time. It carried a small story on a change to a single word in the introduction of the book of mormon in the recent doubleday edition. The book of mormon is a complex book covering a variety of historical, religious, political, and military events in a variety of ancient communities.
In reality, though, the kind of stylistic accuracy achieved by these changes has little to do with what joseph meant when he called the book of mormon the most correct of any book on earth. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon, which was donated to the university of utah library by the lds apostle john a. Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the son god. The news that the introduction to the 2006 doubleday edition of the book of mormon contains significant changes seems to be all the rage on. Its a matter of some controversy, then, that lds officials have now changed the text of the introduction to the book of mormon, softening the assertion made when the introduction was first. The published text of the book of mormon has been corrected and edited through its various editions. It 1 puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, 2 outlines the plan of salvation, and. One word can speak volumes says this mornings salt lake tribune. Jon and jay explore the introductory pages of the book of mormon. Changes were made to the book of mormon after joseph smith changed his doctrine from monotheism to polytheism.
The context of joseph smiths statement in this regard is that a man can grow nearer to god by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. My introduction to the book of mormon or the book of mormon evidences page could also be. This video discusses the 5 types of changes that have occurred with the text of the original book of mormon translation and why they should not be of any concern. It introduces the book of mormon to the modern reader by providing background information and a description of the book. It has been suggested by many that the announced change in the book of mormon introduction has everything to do with the dna challenge that the church has been facing for the past few years. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. Understanding textual changes in the book of mormon. The bible, the book of mormon, and continuing revelation duration. Claiming it was scripture like the bible, in 1841 he declared it to be the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of our religion. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library.
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