{"id":688,"date":"2021-05-21T16:41:20","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T16:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/angelobiblestudy.com\/?page_id=688"},"modified":"2021-05-21T16:46:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T16:46:09","slug":"the-bible-versus-the-book-of-mormon","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/angelobiblestudy.com\/?page_id=688","title":{"rendered":"The Bible Versus the Book of Mormon"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Bible Versus the Book of Mormon <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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by Eric Lyons, M. Min.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Similar to the insecure person who hangs around the rich and famous for the sole reason of establishing himself, the Book of Mormon has attempted to make a name for itself by \u201ccozying up to\u201d the Bible. The very first line in the \u201cIntroduction\u201d to the Mormons\u2019 revered text states: \u201cThe Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture\u00a0comparable to the Bible<\/b>.\u201d Even the Book of Mormon\u2019s subtitle (\u201cAnother<\/b>\u00a0Testament of Jesus Christ\u201d\u2014emp. added) lends credibility to the Bible. Obviously, the Mormons have attempted to give credence to their scripture by comparing it to the Bible. Furthermore, a crucial element of the Mormon religion found in their Article of Faith #8 says: \u201cWe believe the Bible to be the word of God<\/b>as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God\u201d (emp. added). If both the Bible and the Book of Mormon are inspired by God, then reason demands that they must never contradict one another. No book from God\u2019s hand will contain factual mistakes because He does not make mistakes. By definition, He is omniscient and perfect in all His ways (cf. Psalm 139:1-6; 1 John 3:20). The truth is, however, they\u00a0do<\/b>contradict one another.<\/p>

The Book of Mormon contains numerous passages that contradict what the Bible says. The following examples are conspicuous instances of such contradictions.<\/p>

  • Rather than God confusing \u201cthe language of all the earth\u201d at the tower of Babel as the Bible records (Genesis 11:9), the Book of Mormon contends that the language of Jared, his brother, as well as their friends and family members \u201cwere not confounded\u201d (Ether 1:33-37).<\/li>
  • Contrary to the Bible prophecy concerning the Lord\u2019s birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and the fulfillment of that prophecy in Matthew 2:1, the Book of Mormon reads: \u201cAnd behold, he (Jesus) shall be born of Mary at\u00a0Jerusalem<\/b>\u201d (Alma 7:10, parenthetical comment and emp. added). The writer of the Book of Mormon was simply wrong.<\/li>
  • The Bible tells us that at the crucifixion of Jesus, darkness covered the land for three hours (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44). However, the Book of Mormon states three different times that there was darkness \u201cfor the space of\u00a0three days<\/b>\u201d (Helaman 14:20,27; 3 Nephi 8:3, emp. added). Of course, this is a big difference.<\/li>
  • Finally, whereas the Book of Mormon has people wearing the name Christian in about 73 B.C. (Alma 46:13, 15), the Bible clearly reveals that the disciples of Christ \u201cwere called Christians\u00a0first<\/b>\u00a0in Antioch\u201d (Acts 11:26, emp. added). This was in approximately A.D. 40, and thus represents a difference of over 100 years. Which account are people to believe? After all, according to Mormons, both books are inspired.<\/li><\/ul>

    The fact that there are numerous disagreements between the Bible and the Book of Mormon does not disparage the Bible in any way. In fact, a Bible believer would expect there to be contradictions between the two, since the Bible never gives any legitimacy to the Book of Mormon, but actually condemns it (cf. Galatians 1:6-9, Revelation 22:18-19, 2 Peter 1:3, and Jude 3). On the other hand, the Book of Mormon easily is exposed as fiction when compared to and contrasted with the Bible, which Mormons claim is \u201cthe word of God.\u201d<\/p>

    Simply put, if both the Bible and the Book of Mormon were inspired by God, then they never would contradict each other. However, since they do disagree with one another (in a number of places), the Book of Mormon is obviously a fraud, written by con men, not inspired men.<\/p>

    First, an individual contemplating his spiritual life must understand that the reason there is even something for him to do is because he has sinned. Everyone who has reached the level of mental maturity (sometimes referred to as \u201cthe age of accountability\u201d) so that he or she understands what sin is (cf. 1 John 3:4; 5:17), has sinned (Romans 3:10,23; 1 John 1:8). [The one exception, of course, was Jesus\u20141 Peter 2:22.] Sin is that which separates man from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). For a person to be saved, he first must have knowledge that he is a sinner, and as such stands in a lost condition. One of the reasons Jesus condemned certain Jewish priests, elders, and sects was because they did not admit their sinfulness after hearing the preaching of John the baptizer (Matthew 21:31-32)\u2014though the tax collectors and harlots (i.e., sinners) did acknowledge their sin, and believed.<\/p>

    Second, the one who aspires to become a Christian must know something about Jesus\u2014the One Who came to save us from our sins (Luke 19:10; John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8). A person does not have to know every one of Jesus\u2019 parables, or be able to quote the Sermon on the Mount, but he must know that Jesus is the Son of God Who died and was raised so that all men might have their sins forgiven and live eternally with Him in heaven (Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:9). In other words, before becoming a Christian, a person must have heard the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).<\/p>

    Finally, the individual who aspires to become a child of God must realize there is something for him to do (cf. Acts 2:38; 16:30; 8:36). If one understands that the Bible says he must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 8:24), repent of his sins (Luke 13:3,5), confess that Jesus is God\u2019s Son (Romans 10:10), and be baptized for the remission of his sins (Acts 2:38), he or she then possesses enough knowledge to put on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27) and become a Christian, being added by God to the church that Christ established (Acts 2:47; Matthew 16:18; Romans 16:16).<\/p>

    Contrary to the belief of some, a person who desires to become a Christian does not have to know the whole Bible thoroughly before he takes action. Nor is there a need to have every question imaginable answered. The Ethiopian eunuch heard one Christ-centered lesson from Philip before asking, \u201cWhat hinders me from being baptized\u201d (Acts 8:35-36)? The three thousand on Pentecost heard only one Gospel sermon before accepting the grace of God and obeying the plan of salvation (Acts 2:41). They did not wait around for years, thinking they were not knowledgeable enough to be followers of Christ. Rather, they were convinced of their sins (Acts 2:37), heard the Gospel, believed it, and obeyed it. It is\u00a0after<\/b>\u00a0one becomes a Christian that God commands us a person to \u201cgrow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ\u201d (2 Peter 3:18), and to continue to study the Word in order to teach others (Hebrews 5:12; 1 Peter 3:15).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Bible Versus the Book of Mormon by Eric Lyons, M. Min.\u00a0 Similar to the insecure person who hangs around the rich and famous for the sole reason of establishing himself, the Book of Mormon has attempted to make a name for itself by \u201ccozying up to\u201d the Bible. The very first line in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-688","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","wpbf-post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t