August 2014 Seek The Old Paths

57

Vol. 25, No. 8

August 2014

REWRITING THE BIBLE

Tom Wacaster

There is sufficient evidence to the honest seeker of truth to prove that the
book you hold in your hand is, beyond any shadow of doubt, the inspired
word of God, all the modernists notwithstanding.
t seems that the 20th and 21st
centuries may go down in history
as the age when men sought to
rewrite the Bible and present to men
what THEY want to hear rather than
what God wants them to hear. The
modern versions (for the most part)
are the product of an attempt to put
INTO the Bible the creeds and doctrines of men rather than an honest
evaluation and translation of what
God communicated to mankind.
Calvinism is embedded in the
New International Version and
Modernism is manifest in the
Revised Standard Version. Now
we are hearing of the Gender-Neutral
Bible in which every masculine gender reference to God, Christ and/or
the Holy Spirit has been changed
from He, Him, or His to it. That version barely hit the market when the
homosexual activists decided it was
time to produce a so-called Bible
that either removed or edited every
reference to homosexuality so as to
put the vile practice in a positive
light. So the beat goes on, and men in
their stupidity think they can eliminate what they dont like by simply
rewriting the Bible. With the exception of the New King James Version, every modern translation to hit
the market in the last 50 years or so
has propagated some kind of error,
and the more liberal the translation,

the more error will be found therein.

Attacks upon the word of God are
as old as man himself. Satan sought
to place doubt in the mind of Eve by
suggesting that God did not say what
she thought He said. Satan was likely the first one to rewrite Biblical history in an attempt to achieve his
desired end. The liberal theologians
(if we dare call them theologians) of
our day and age are also attempting
to rewrite Old Testament history.
Not to be confused with textual
criticism, Higher Criticism is an
attempt to reconstruct the Bible by
taking a cut and paste approach to
the Scriptures, with more of a cutting
than a pasting! For those who have
not had the opportunity to study
Higher Criticism, Textual Criticism,
Modernism, and/or Post-modernism,
let me assure you that it is not one of
my favorite fields of study. I react to
such disrespect for Gods word like so
many fingernails scraping across the
proverbial blackboard it just rubs
against the grain. For the most part,
all such theologians take a very critical approach to the examination of
the Bible. They begin with a no miracles allowed mindset, deny inspiration, and then attempt to attribute
every prophecy of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament to a later
date than when it was written, the
obvious reason being to avoid any

such thing as predictive prophecy;

that would demand a miracle, and
miracles are not allowed in their way
of thinking. According to some scholars, the book of Genesis is a myth,
filled with tales and fables with no
more value than Mother Goose or Dr.
Seuss (if even that).
One of the most recent attempts
to rewrite the Old Testament was
headed by (get this) the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. A
well-known rabbi, Harold Kushner,
has co-edited what they call an
adventure in which the publishers
will bid adieu to the childish version
of the Bible. Archaeological evidence, in their opinion, is lacking to
support most of the Old Testament
stories that have come to be appreciated by Bible believers. Influenced by
the no absolutes mentality of their
kissing cousins in the field of philosophy, these new found spiritual leaders for our generation are quick to
point out that you just cant be sure
about these things. One of the central themes of modernism and
post-modernism is that you cant be
sure about anything except what science proves, and sometimes you cant
even rely on science! But with their
human wisdom asserted, and the
(Continued on page 59)

Rewriting The Bible

Seek The Old Paths August 2014

58

MAN NEEDS HOPE

FOR THE FUTURE #2
Garland M. Robinson
HOPE ENCOURAGES US
ope serves as an anchor, a
foundation, a bulwark. It is
both sure and steadfast. It is a
rock, a support. The Hebrew writer
says, Wherein God, willing more
abundantly to shew unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by
two immutable things, in which it
was impossible for God to lie, we
might have a strong consolation, who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upon
the hope set before us: Which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both
sure and steadfast, and which
entereth into that within the veil
(Heb. 6:17-19). But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more
and more (Psalm 71:14).
It is by hope that we exist peaceably and tranquilly upon this earth.
Without hope, what lies ahead in our
future and the fearful expectation of
it could drive us insane as it does
with many that have no hope. Hope
inspires us to look ahead in expectation of comfort, consolation and
reward.

SAVED BY HOPE
When we hope to go to heaven
some day, we do not doubt that heaven is real, we do not doubt that God
can save us, we do not doubt at all!
We hope, anticipate, expect to be
granted entrance into that heavenly
land when our time in this world is
complete. In hope of eternal life,
which God, that cannot lie, promised
before the world began (Titus 1:2).
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:11).
For we are saved by hope... (Rom.
8:24).
Many passages declare heaven to
be our eternal home. For the hope
which is laid up for you in heaven,

whereof ye heard before in the word of

the truth of the gospel (Col. 1:5). But
let us, who are of the day, be sober,
putting on the breastplate of faith
and love; and for an helmet, the hope
of salvation (1 Thess. 5:8). That
being justified by his grace, we should
be made heirs according to the hope
of eternal life (Titus 3:7).
Without hope, there is no salvation. God promises a grand reward to
all who obey him in humble submission to his will. Unless we believe
that, we do not believe God who
made the promise. And, to those who
do not believe God, it is impossible
for them to be saved. But without
faith it is impossible to please him: for
he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him
(Heb. 11:6).
OUR HOPE WILL BE REALIZED
The faithful servants of God
throughout the ages declare our hope
will be realized!
Stephen so lived as to realize
his hope to enter heaven. As the mob
was stoning the life from his body he
said, Father, lay not this sin to their
charge (Acts 7:60). He was able to
see Jesus standing on the right hand
of God and said, Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit. May we ask Stephen if
heaven was worth the price? His
answer would be YES INDEED!
Paul is certainly qualified to tell
us of the hope set before us. His life
was one of labor, suffering, persecution, slander, beatings, imprisonments, and at times hunger and
thirst. No doubt he could have lived a
very prosperous life considering his
education, acquaintances and Roman
citizenship. Yet he declared, For the
which cause I also suffer these things:
nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I
know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that
which I have committed unto him

against that day (2 Tim. 1:12). But

what things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless,
and I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them but dung, that I may win
Christ (Phil. 3:7-8). For our light
affliction, which is but for a moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor.
4:17). He saw beyond the executioners axe to see the joys of heaven! Facing death he said, I have fought a
good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith: Henceforth there
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them
also that love his appearing (2 Tim.
4:7-8).
The promise given to each of the
seven churches of Asia provides hope
for all who overcome the temptations
and trials of life.
To the church at Ephesus: He
that hath an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit saith unto the churches; To
him that overcometh will I give to eat
of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God (Rev.
2:7).
To the church at Smyrna: He
that hath an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit saith unto the churches; He
that overcometh shall not be hurt
of the second death (Rev. 2:11).
To the church at Pergamum:
He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give
to eat of the hidden manna, and
will give him a white stone, and in
the stone a new name written, which
no man knoweth saving he that
receiveth it (Rev. 2:17).
To the church at Thyatira:
And he that overcometh, and keepeth
my works unto the end, to him will I
give power over the nations: And
he shall rule them with a rod of iron;
as the vessels of a potter shall they be
broken to shivers: even as I received of
my Father. And I will give him the
morning star (Rev. 2:26-28).
To the church at Sardis: He
that overcometh, the same shall be
clothed in white raiment; and I will
not blot out his name out of the book
of life, but I will confess his name
before my Father, and before his

August 2014 Seek The Old Paths

angels (Rev. 3:5).

To the church at Philadelphia: Him that overcometh will I
make a pillar in the temple of my
God, and he shall go no more out: and
I will write upon him the name of my
God, and the name of the city of my
God, which is new Jerusalem, which
cometh down out of heaven from my
God: and I will write upon him my
new name (Rev. 3:12).
To the church at Laodicea: To
him that overcometh will I grant to
sit with me in my throne, even as I
also overcame, and am set down with
my Father in his throne (Rev. 3:21).
Think of all the godly men and
women whose examples have influenced others to live a faithful life
according to Gods Word. What a
tremendous encouragement they are.
They declare unto us that glorious
hope that we all embrace. The hope
of the righteous shall be gladness...
(Prov. 10:28).
Think, on the other hand, of all
the ungodly men and women whose
lives tear down every good thing and
whose influence will live on to
destroy the home and family, to
destroy our Christian life or the lives
of our sons and daughters. For such
people, there is NO HOPE! When a
wicked man dieth, his expectation
shall perish: and the hope of unjust
men perisheth (Prov. 11:7). ...The
expectation of the wicked shall perish (Prov. 10:28).
WHEN WILL HOPE BE REALIZED?
Our hope will be realized when
Jesus comes to bring life on this
earth to a close. When the Son of
man shall come in his glory, and all
the holy angels with him, then shall
he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he shall separate them
one from another, as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his
right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them
on his right hand, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ...Then shall he say
also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels. ...And these shall go
away into everlasting punishment:
but the righteous into life eternal

59

(Matt. 25:31-34, 41, 46).

CONCLUSION
We have eternal life NOW only in
prospect, pledge, promise, down payment (2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14). For
we are saved by hope: but hope that is
seen is not hope: for what a man
seeth, why doth he yet hope for (Rom.
8:24)? Full expectation of our hope
will not be realized until the judgment. However, we may forfeit our
hope at any time by turning away
from Christ (cf. Gal. 5:4; 1 Cor. 10:12).
The admonition, therefore, is to be
faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). Only
the Father knows when Jesus will
come again (Mark 13:32). Watch
therefore: for ye know not what hour

Rewriting The Bible

(Continued from page 57)

badge of stupidity displayed for all to

see, they declare that the Bible is a
grossly overrated book and that no
one today seriously accepts any of
the miracles of the Bible. I guess they
took a poll that led them to that
overstated conclusion. I wonder
why I was not asked to participate in
that poll? As it turns out, this adventure never received serious attention, and the project was abandoned
a few years back. We are the better
for it.
I have several books in my
library in which the authors present
irrefutable evidence of the reliability
of both the Old and New Testaments.
There are literally thousands of manuscripts, fragments, and copies of the
New Testament compared with a
mere handful of some of the great
classics of literature. This makes, as
one author declared, the Bible the
best documented book from the
ancient world. The evidence is
squarely on the side of the reliability
and authenticity of the Bible. But
then, modernists are not concerned
with evidence. The modernists
believe the old lie that if you tell
someone something long enough and
loud enough, they will eventually
believe it, no matter how foolish it
might seem to be, or how lacking in
evidence to support their claim.
While these modernists are bold and
brash in their claim, I would simply

your Lord doth come...Therefore be ye

also ready: for in such an hour as ye
think not the Son of man cometh
(Matt. 24:42,44). Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live:
and let me not be ashamed of my
hope (Psalm 119:116).
Do you have the hope of an eternity with God? If not, you can have
that hope if you will humbly obey
Gods will. Believe in Christ (John
8:24), Repent of sins (Luke 13:3),
Confess Christ (Matt. 10:32), be
Baptized for the forgiveness of sins
(Acts 2:38), Live faithful the
remainder of your life (Rev. 2:10).
Then, and only then, will you have
the hope of everlasting life!

ask: Where is the evidence? There

is, on the other hand, sufficient evidence to the honest seeker of truth to
prove that the book you hold in your
hand is, beyond any shadow of doubt,
the inspired word of God, all the
modernists notwithstanding.
If, as the modernists would have
us believe, the Bible is not reliable,
that it has become corrupted, or that
it is nothing more than a myth or
fable, then why stop with the few
translations we now have? Why not
produce a bible for every imagination of mankind? Is that not where
we are headed?
About two years ago there was a
debate being held on the Senate floor
regarding a bill having to do with
abortion (if I remember correctly). I
do not recall the nature of the bill,
but it is not what was in the bill as
much as the reaction to it. Those
sponsoring and supporting the bill
appealed to the Bible as the basis for
the legitimacy of the bill. One Senator, opposed to the bill, simply
responded by saying, Well, men
wrote the Bible; men can change it!
How foolish of man to think he can,
with the stroke of a pen, change the
eternal truths contained therein.
Modern man has come a long
way in technology, science, medicine
and electronics. But I can say without fear of contradiction that he has
taken one giant leap backward when
he thinks he can rewrite the Bible.
PO Box 8733
Ft. Worth, TX 76124

Seek The Old Paths August 2014

60

WHY I LEFT THE MORMON CHURCH #8

Nathan Franson
The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints is driven largely
by a creed of thirteen Articles of
Faith. To see our ongoing examination of these Articles, go to seektheoldpaths.com/stop2014.htm.
SEVENTH ARTICLE OF FAITH
The seventh item in the Articles
of Faith reads, We believe in the
gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
This teaching is actually quite
common to much of the religious
world and deserves a certain amount
of attention. However, for the sake of
not being redundant, it is recommended to examine the material
printed in the previous two articles
found in the June and July issues of
Seek The Old Paths. The same
information prescribed by the Bible
for prophets is to be applied to this.
There is also a thorough analysis of
tongues in the August, September,
and October issues from 2013.

are implying that the Bible, unlike

the Book of Mormon, may have some
unreliable texts. It is important to
realize then that the burden of proof
is placed on the shoulders of those
making such an accusation. In other
words, prove where the Bible is not
translated correctly or is unreliable
in terms of being the word of God.
Their statement also places a significant rank on a book that no other
religion accepts as inspired canon.
Peter emphasizes, For all flesh
is as grass, and all the glory of man
as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth
away: But the word of the Lord
endureth for ever. And this is the
word which by the gospel is preached
unto you (1 Peter 1:24-25). The
Gospel to which he refers is the same
Gospel preached throughout the
Bible not the Book of Mormon. In
order to answer whether or not one
can get to heaven obeying the Book of
Mormon, one must examine if the
Book of Mormon is inspired.

EIGHTH ARTICLE OF FAITH

AUTHORSHIP OF
THE BOOK OF MORMON

The eighth Article of Faith reads,

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.
The Mormon faith does not abandon the Bible entirely, but they put
more emphasis into how they perceive the reliability of the Book of
Mormon. There are some things to
consider with their statement. First,
either the Bible (Genesis to Revelation) is the complete and only
inspired word of God or it is not. If it
is, then no religion has authority to
teach or practice from any other
source. If it is not the only inspired
text, then the religious world must
accept that there may be other forms
of inspired writings. If that is the
case, then the Book of Mormon may
be what Joseph Smith declared it to
be. However, when making a claim
that the Bible is the word of God as
far as it is translated correctly, they

The first edition of the Book of

Mormon was released in the year
A.D. 1830. Controversy surrounds
the authorship, beginning with how
it was published. On the title page of
the original version, Joseph Smith is
listed as Author and Proprietor
when he registered the first edition
in New York. If the Book of Mormon
was indeed inspired by the Holy
Spirit, why did Smith claim to be the
author? Mormon apologists contend
that the copyright laws in New York,
where the Book of Mormon was produced, stated that one must list himself as such in order to prevent plagiarism. However, a careful study
will reveal that the law actually
states, Author or Proprietor was
sufficient. (Bracha)
Further, this law certainly did
not apply to the printed testimony of
eleven witnesses who attested that
Smith was both Author and Proprietor in the early edition of the book.
Present day editions have deleted

those
testimonies.
Eventually
Author and Proprietor was replaced
with Translator on the title page a
few years later. So which is it? There
is a vast difference between the role
of an author and that of a translator.
Why not just simply identify himself
as Translator, which was legal to
do? If Smith was the author, then it
ceases to be divine. If he was not, why
did the eleven witnesses say differently? How can they be trusted?
When a sworn testimony is changed,
it becomes invalid or questionable at
best. Three other assumed witnesses
would be added: Oliver Cowdery,
David Whitmer, and Martin Harris.
More controversy would follow
the authorship by way of a man
named Solomon Spalding. Spalding
was ordained a Congregationalist
preacher in 1787 and later tried his
hand at writing novels in the early
1800s. He was never successful, but
in 1816 he wrote an unpublished historical romance about the lost civilization of the mound builders of
North America titled Manuscript
Found. It was authored fourteen
years before the Book of Mormon
was released. Its plot and character
names are almost identical with the
ones found in the Book of Mormon.
Because of this, many accused Smith
of plagiarism, using Spaldings work
as the theme of the Book of Mormon.
Those in defense of the Book of
Mormon have always stood firm that
it was nothing more than an attempt
to discredit the Book of Mormon. For
years the LDS Church was successful in dismantling most of the dispute. However, those who knew
Spalding launched their own investigation claiming he was the source.
Unfortunately, Spalding died before
he had an opportunity to defend his
work.
In 1976, three men, Wayne L.
Cowdrey, Howard Davis, and Arthur
Vanick wrote a book titled Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? They
exposed the original manuscript and
had a handwriting analysis performed to see if the original copy of
the Book of Mormon matched the
original handwritten draft by Spald-

August 2014 Seek The Old Paths

61

He then told me he had been

writing a book, which he
intended to have printed, the
avails of which he thought
would enable him to pay all
his debts. The book was entitled the Manuscript Found,
of which he read to me many
passages. It was an historical romance of the first settlers of America, endeavoring
to show that the American
Indians are the descendants
of the Jews, or the lost tribes.
It gave a detailed account of
their
journey
from
Jerusalem, by land and sea,
till they arrived in America,
under the command of
NEPHI and LEHI. They
afterwards had quarrels and
contentions, and separated
into two distinct nations, one
of which he denominated
Nephites and the other
Lamanites.... I have recently
read the Book of Mormon,
and to my great surprize I
find nearly the same historical matter, names, &c. as
they were in my brothers
writings. I well remember
that he wrote in the old style,
and commenced about every
sentence with and it came to
pass, or now it came to
pass, the same as in the
Book of Mormon, and according to the best of my recollection and belief, it is the same
as my brother Solomon
wrote, with the exception of
the religious matter. By
what means it has fallen into
the hands of Joseph Smith,
Jr. I am unable to determine.
(Howe 279-280)

was at his house a short time

before he left Conneaut; he
was then writing a historical
novel founded upon the first
settlers of America. He represented them as an enlightened and warlike people. He
had for many years contended that the aborigines of
America were the descendants of some of the lost
tribes of Israel, and this idea
he carried out in the book in
question. The lapse of time
which has intervened, prevents my recollecting but few
of the leading incidents of his
writings; but the names of
Nephi and Lehi are yet fresh
in my memory, as being the
principal heroes of his tale.
They were officers of the
company which first came off
from Jerusalem. He gave a
particular account of their
journey by land and sea, till
they arrived in America,
after which, disputes arose
between the chiefs, which
caused them to separate into
different lands, one of which
was called Lamanites and
the other Nephites. Between
these
were
recounted
tremendous battles, which
frequently
covered
the
ground with the slain; and
their being buried in large
heaps was the cause of the
numerous mounds in the
country. Some of these
people he represented as
being very large. I have read
the Book of Mormon, which
has brought fresh to my recollection the writings of
Solomon Spalding; and I
have no manner of doubt
that the historical part of it,
is the same that I read and
heard read, more than 20
years ago. The old, obsolete
style, and the phrases of and
it came to pass, &c. are the
same. (Howe, Mormonism
Unveiled 280-281)

Martha
Spalding,
the
sister-in-law of Solomon, declared,

John N. Miller, an employee of

Solomon Spalding in 1811 asserted,

I was personally acquainted

with Solomon Spalding,
about twenty years ago. I

I have recently examined the

Book of Mormon, and find in
it the writings of Solomon

ing. Many pages were confirmed as

Spaldings, written verbatim into the
Book of Mormon. Names, plots, and
places were a match. There were also
some significant persons who came
forward to confirm the allegations.
John Spalding, brother of
Solomon Spalding, attested,

Spalding, from beginning to

end, but mixed up with scripture and other religious matter, which I did not meet with
in the Manuscript Found.
Many of the passages in the
Mormon Book are verbatim
from Spalding, and others in
part. The names of Nephi,
Lehi, Moroni, and in fact all
the principal names, are brot
fresh to my recollection, by
the Gold Bible. When Spalding divested his history of its
fabulous names, by a verbal
explanation, he landed his
people near the Straits of
Darien, which I am very confident he called Zarahemla,
they were marched about
that country for a length of
time, in which wars and
great blood shed ensued, he
brought them across North
America in a north east
direction.
(Howe,
Mormonism Unveiled 283)
In 1833 Aaron Wright, a Justice
of the Peace in Conneaut, affirmed,
I first became acquainted
with Solomon Spalding in
1808 or 9, when he commenced building a forge on
Conneaut creek. When at his
house, one day, he showed
and read to me a history he
was writing, of the lost tribes
of Israel, purporting that
they were the first settlers of
America, and that the Indians were their decendants.
Upon this subject we had frequent conversations. He
traced their journey from
Jerusalem to America, as it is
given in the Book of Mormon,
excepting the religious matter. The historical part of the
Book of Mormon, I know to
be the same as I read and
heard read from the writings
of Spalding, more than twenty years ago; the names more
especially are the same without any alteration. He told
me his object was to account
for all the fortifications, &c.
to be found in this country,
and said that in time it
would be fully believed by
all, except learned men and

Seek The Old Paths August 2014

62

historians. I once anticipated

reading his writings in print,
but little expected to see
them in a new Bible. Spalding had many other manuscripts, which I expect to see
when Smith translates his
other plate. In conclusion, I
will observe, that the names
of, and most of the historical
part of the Book of Mormon,
were as familiar to me before
I read it, as most modern history. If it is not Spaldings
writing, it is the same as he
wrote; and if Smith was
inspired, I think it was by the
same spirit that Spalding
was, which he confessed to be
the love of money. (Howe,
Mormonism Unveiled 284)
Spaldings work was not the only
text that was copied. There are also
over forty plagiarisms that Smith
lifted directly from the King James
Version of the Bible. These are not
just similar passages of content, but
are verbatim. They are blatantly
duplicated passages, yet taken out of
their original context. Consider that
the translators of the KJV were not
inspired, nor did any of them claim to
be such. Smith on the other hand was
adamant that he was inspired when
he translated the Book of Mormon
from reformed Egyptian contained
in the gold plates into English.
The Book of Mormon allegedly
covers a historical period from 600
B.C. to A.D. 421. It quotes directly
from the KJV that was translated in
A.D. 1611. Only one of two conclusions can be made from this. Either
the KJV translators copied from the
Book of Mormon or the Book of Mormon copied from the KJV translators. Since the Book of Mormon
would come into existence 200 years
after the KJV was translated, the
first theory can be eliminated. Mormon apologists claim that God gave
the same revelation in the Book of
Mormon as He did in Palestine.
Smith held his position of being an
inspired translator, and that God was
using him to translate directly from
reformed Egyptian into English.
But why would God help him translate it into King James English? That
was not the language in Palestine. It
was also not the language in the
1830s in America.

Newsroom, a website for LDS

resources, lists itself as the official
resource for news media, opinion
leaders, and the public. The website
states, It [Book of Mormon] has been
described as the keystone of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. From the beginning, Church
members have accepted it as scripture. This does not mean the Book of
Mormon replaces the Bible as scripture for members of the Church.
(www.mormonnewsroom.org) Perhaps it does not replace it because it
attempts to duplicate it. How peculiar it is that the Bible does not contain one passage verifying any historical evidence in the Book of Mormon, yet the Book of Mormon is full
of Bible content. The reason is that if
the Bible is true, then there is no
room for Mormon doctrine or history.
TRANSLATION AND
REVELATION OF
THE BOOK OF MORMON
Joseph Smith supposedly translated the Book of Mormon from a
heavy tome made of gold, commonly
referred to in the LDS Church as the
gold plates. He claimed it was written in Reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics, a language that no credible
historian has ever validated. In order
to translate it, he said he would need
the help of the Urim and Thummim.
The official Mormon website
indicates it was an instrument prepared of God to assist man in obtaining revelation from the Lord and in
translating languages. (www.lds.org)
While the Urim and Thummim is
found in the Old Testament, the Mormon description of them are completely different, as nowhere is it
mentioned that the Urim and Thummim were used as translating
devices. The New Illustrated Bible
Dictionary defines them as Gems or
stones carried by the high priest and
used by him to determine Gods will
in certain matters. Additionally,
there is no record of them being used
after the reign of David. Also, Smith
and his family were accused on many
occasions of being involved in occultic
practices.
David Whitmer, one of the Book
of Mormons supposed three main
witnesses, would later describe how
Smith actually claimed to have
received his translating ability. It

was by looking at stones from a well

in which letters would appear in
English. Whitmer wrote, ...Joseph
Smith would put the seer stone into a
hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to
exclude the light; and in the darkness
the spiritual light would shine...
(Whitmer 12). Gods methods of revelation never endorsed an occultic
practice of translation. Moreover,
why or how would an archaic form of
an Egyptian language end up on
American soil? No Egyptian hieroglyphics have ever been connected to
the American continent, the language was never used, and certainly
not a fabricated version of it.
THE WITNESSES OF
THE BOOK OF MORMON
Located at the front of every
Book of Mormon is a written testimony supposedly signed by Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin
Harris. They supposedly saw the
gold plates first-hand and according to Mormon beliefs corroborated
Smiths revelation. Mormon officials
and members vow that these testimonies have never changed. However, an investigation will show otherwise. Relevant is the fact that credible witnesses must have sound judgment, not be easily swayed, their
character and reputation must be
unquestionable, and all statements
must agree over time. Otherwise,
they are untrustworthy. Consider
that all three witnesses were excommunicated from the Mormon Church
at different times. Two of the three
later returned, but their testimony
could not be trusted. All three
accounts varied over time. (Groat)
Eight other witnesses are also
listed in the front of the Book of Mormon. What is important to realize is
that they were all either family members or close friends of the Smith and
Whitmer families. All eight apostatized from the LDS Church. By 1847,
none were a part of it. All eight had
questionable accounts outside of
what the Book of Mormon lists. They
were known to be superstitious,
believing in divining rods and magic.
Later on, they all said they saw the
plates with eyes of faith but never
actually saw the tangible plates.
Smith even referred to them at one
point as counterfeiters.

August 2014 Seek The Old Paths

David Whitmer wrote,

If you believe my testimony
to the Book of Mormon; if you
believe that God spake to us
three witnesses by his own
voice, then I tell you that in
June, 1838, God spake to me
again by his own voice from
the heavens, and told me to
separate myself from among
the Latter-Day Saints, for as
they sought to do unto me, so
should it be done unto them.
(Whitmer, An Address to All
Believers in Christ)
Contemporaries of Martin Harris
described him as having unstable
religious convictions. (Groat)
CAN THE BOOK OF MORMON BE
TRUSTED?
Joseph Smith confidently contended, 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 by its precepts, than by any other book. (Smith
461) If Smith really was inspired
while translating and God was the
author of the English production,
there would certainly be no changes
needed. But there were changes, in
fact, four thousand of them since the
1830 version! The Book of Mormon
has undergone quite a makeover
through the years including doctrinal
and grammatical modifications. If
deity truly inspired a prophet, why
would there be a need to change anything?
The final chapter of the Book of
Mormon contains a test to confirm
inspiration. It reads, And when ye
shall receive these things I would
exhort you that ye would ask God, the
Eternal Father, in the name of Christ,
if these things are not true; and if ye
shall ask with a sincere heart, with
real intent, having faith in Christ, he
will manifest the truth of it unto you,
by the power of the Holy Ghost. And
by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may
know the truth of all things. (Moroni
10:4-5)
Mormons urge prospective converts to pray and ask God if it is true.
The problem is that it is a loaded
approach. Many have read and followed their formula, only to conclude
that the Book of Mormon is false.

63

Those in defense of the Mormon faith

will simply say that one does not
have enough faith and to pray more.
But their judgment is only viable if it
is assumed that the Book of Mormon
is the authority.
CONCLUSION
If the Book of Mormon is not the
divine revelation that Smith and his
church claim it to be, then the entire
foundation of Mormonism crumbles
under its own error and will get no
one to heaven. The Bible on the other
hand, is God breathed. Paul writes,
All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).
Paul also writes, There is one body
[church, NF], and one Spirit, even as
ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism
(Eph. 4:4-5).
Books of Mormon theology can
only be true if their doctrine is
unmistakably in unison with what
the Bible teaches. Otherwise there is
not one body or one faith. The one
faith provides hope of eternal salvation. The one faith enables people to
be correctly added to the one body.
The one faith keeps people in the
grace of God as long as they remain
obedient. The one faith has been
tested and proven to be true time
after time. It is the Bible and the
Bible alone (2 Peter 1:3; Gal. 1:6-9).
Works Cited
Bracha, O. (2008) Commentary
on the U.S. Copyright Act 1790, in
Primary Sources on Copyright (14501900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer.
www.copyrighthistory.org.
http://copy.law.cam.ac.uk/cam/tools/r
equest/showRecord.php?id=commentary_us_1790.
Groat, Joel. Facts On the Book of
Mormon Witnesses Part 1. 1996. 29
May 2014. http://mit.irr.org/facts-onbook-of-mormon-witnesses-part-1
Howe, E. D. Mormonism
Unveiled. Painesville: Author, 1834.
Smith, Joseph. History of the
Church. Vol. 4. Salt Lake City:
Deseret News, 1978. 7 vols.
Whitmer, David. An Address to
All Believers in Christ. Richmond,
1837. An Address to All Believers
in Christ. Richmond, 1837.

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