As a document supposedly produced by the awesome power of god, dont you think that god would know how to spell and punctuate. The purpose of this article is to analyse some of the word changes made in the book of mormon during the three major editions printed during the lifetime of the prophet joseph smith. Some scholars believe that some of the chapters of the current book of isaiah were not written by that prophet but by one or more different authors long after isaiahs timein fact, after the time that lehi and his family left jerusalem. The original text betrays its new england origin in many ways, from inconsistent spelling to incorrect use of tenses and number, as well as. 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. The primary research for this information was taken from the book 39 changes in the book of mormon by jerald and sandra tanner.
In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of. The book of mormon has traditionally been presented as a historical account of the first inhabitants of the americas the principle ancestors of the native americans. Oct 06, 2018 the worldfamous mormon tabernacle choir will be singing the same tune but under a new name. Empathy and support for those struggling w a faith crisis. It was intended primarily for a latterday saint audience and is often used as a reference book by church members because of its comprehensive nature. Changes to the book of mormon lds church edits book of mormon title page.
In 2009, the gospel principles manual also underwent. There are thousands upon thousands of small changes such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Or as the book of mormon musical says ridiculously but powerfully our reputation is to be really ing. For example, world war ii with quotes will give more precise results than world war ii without quotes.
Mormon doctrine originally subtitled a compendium of the gospel is an encyclopedic work written in 1958 by bruce r. Posted in book of mormon changes, tagged changes to book of mormon headings 2010, false gospel, joseph smith false prophet, racist headings in book of mormon on 03012017 leave a comment several days ago i came across an archived salt lake trib article outlining significant changes in two chapter headings for the bom. The claim is often heard that there are more than 4000 changes to the book of mormon text. Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith. Book of mormon, other scriptures, the hymns, retain the sunday meetings, the sacrament, primary, youth programs, missions, temple weddings, temple ordinances, seminary and institute, general conference, moral and ethical standards. Dec 20, 2010 the lds church has made subtle but significant changes to chapter headings in its online version of the faiths signature scripture, the book of mormon, toning down some earlier racial allusions. Since its first publication in 1830, the book of moron has undergone thousands of changes. Containing the way the book is claimed to have been translated, the amendments which have been made in the book. To obtain copies of their work please write to utah lighthouse ministry p. Book of mormon changes to cursed lamanites life after. Wildcard searching if you want to search for multiple variations of a word, you can substitute a special symbol called a wildcard for one or more letters. May 15, 2011 it was february 2010, and scott rudin, the prolific theater and film producer, felt something was wrong with the book of mormon, the new musical he was developing. The arguments are rather weak but need to be dealt with. In 2009, the gospel principles manual also underwent revsions.
Apr 15, 2012 changes in the book of mormon exposed by earl erskine. Certainly the introduction of the current book of mormon is not there by mistake or accident. The faiths presidents are considered prophets who lead through. At our book of mormon time travelers quarterly activity, we gave the children a book of mormon challenge. 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. The book of mormon, the pearl of great price, and the doctrine and covenants are accepted as scripture without any qualifications whatsoever. At the conclusion of the original article, i provide some specific numbers for the different types of changes in the history of the book of mormon text, including the number of changes introduced in the book of mormon. Maxwell institute creates a study edition of the book of. For the first 150 years of mormonisms existence, everyone thought it was a story about a people who left the middle east and came to south or central america, and who fought wars clear up into new york state where. It was february 2010, and scott rudin, the prolific theater and film producer, felt something was wrong with the book of mormon, the new musical he was developing.
As long as the donations continue to come, i will keep things hopping. The lds church has and continues to quietly make changes to its doctrinal teachings. The renaming of the choir is the first step with many changes still to come. The year 2003 marked the twentyfifth anniversary of the lifting of the ban excluding black members from the priesthood of the mormon church.
Book of mormon word change christian research institute. Mormon tabernacle choir changes name as church shifts away from mormon label. Changes in the book of mormon exposed by earl erskine. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. It made a comeback in the early days of the lds church and has since gone away again. 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. Study book of mormonfall 2010 flashcards at proprofs byu religion classbook of mormon study cards for nephialma 29. Joseph fielding smith, the tenth president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, proclaimed. However, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon.
Isaiah in the book of mormon religious studies center. In what some believe was a response to the accusation that mormons do not place a. Below is the modern map of the area of smiths youth. Box 1884 salt lake city, utah 84110 or visit their website. Despite deseret book s claim that the decision was based on declining sales, some observers opined that the move was because of the book s uncompromising presentation of controversial mormon ideas from which the church is attempting to distance itself. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. In the course of the translation of the book of mormon, oliver, who continued to serve as scribe, writing at the prophets dictation, desired to be endowed with the gift of translation. Smith is full of bluff and bluster, and is a fraud. Some people point to all the changes that take place in science and say that is a case that any. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been.
This is an archived article that was published on in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. 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. Christopher columbus in bom coincidences in mormonism. The lord responded to his supplication by granting this. The foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms was an informal collaboration of academics devoted to latterday saint historical scholarship. Could joseph smith really have taken a little bit of this and that to produce the book of mormon and if so, why did he do such a thing. He appears to have used and it came to pass as a paragraph marker, wrote hardy, in an email interview. In 2010, lds faithful returned to the basics, or core beliefs and doctrines of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. Church removes racial references in book of mormon headings. Restoring the original text of the book of mormon fairmormon. Mormon stories 2010 a new direction mormon stories. Interestingly, in addition to the changes in the actual text of the book of mormon, there are changes that have taken place in the introductory material as well. Oct 06, 2018 the renaming of the choir is the first step with many changes still to come.
This video is presented with express permission from its producer. Internal book of mormon geography focuses on the relationships between lands and other geographic features, independent of where they might be physically located on todays maps. Changes that would affect the authenticity of the book of mormon are limited to. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Mormon tabernacle choir changes name as church shifts away.
In 1997, the group became a formal part of brigham young university byu, which is owned and operated by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church. The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein. The path of the book of mormon to broadway the new. What an inspired translation should have been, and the reasons given by the church for making the many grammatical changes. The book of mormon is supposed to be a history of real people living in a real place. The earliest text, the definitive scholarly edition of the book of mormon, published in 2009 by yale university press. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. The book of mormons original typesetter, john gilbert, set the stage for many successive changes in the original 1830 edition, which was originally published in paragraphs. Thousands of changes made to the book of mormon see for. By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. Book of mormon research topics az life after ministry.
The arguments are rather weak but need to be dealt with thats the purpose of this page. To donate to mormon stories 2010, please click on the donate button at the top right of this blog. Smiths black and mormon look at the mechanisms used to keep blacks from full participation, the motives behind the ban, and the kind of changes that haveand have nottaken place within the. But not only are there many small changes to the book of mormon, there are some major changes as well, changes that. As you can see, the book of mormon is a changing document. Polygamy was practiced sporadically by prophets such as abraham and jacob in the old testament.
Significant changes some book of mormon changes were corrections of transcription or printing errors. Changes to book of mormon headings 2010 life after ministry. Grant hardy, an lds historian at the university of north carolina in asheville who edited a readers edition of the book of mormon in 2005, the changes are interesting. Former lds bishop earl erskine talks about the changes he found in the book of mormon on polygamy. Changes in the book of mormon book of mormon central. Joseph originally taught that jesus and the father were the same. Mormon again leads the nephite armies in battles of blood and carnagethe book of mormon will come forth to convince all israel that jesus is the christbecause of their unbelief, the lamanites will be scattered, and the spirit will cease to strive with themthey will receive the gospel from the gentiles. Mcconkie, a general authority of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church. Jul 01, 2011 however, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon. As financial support comes in, i will use it to fund new episodes.
Study book of mormon fall 2010 flashcards at proprofs byu religion class book of mormon study cards for nephialma 29. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library. I will be operating mormon stories on an nprpbs model through donations of both time and money. Church removes racial references in book of mormon. A second major question is sometimes raised about the isaiah material in the book of mormon. The worldfamous mormon tabernacle choir will be singing the same tune but under a new name. Oct 01, 2010 the year 2003 marked the twentyfifth anniversary of the lifting of the ban excluding black members from the priesthood of the mormon church.
Another wish list for changes in the mormon church wheat. Ive been working on the critical text project of the book of mormon. In what some believe was a response to the accusation that mormons do not place a lot of value in the. First and foremost, i want to help to build greater understanding, empathy and support within the broader lds culture for those struggling with an ldsrelated faith crisis. An original first edition book of mormon has been photographed and is available for viewing at. Multiple revisions of the book of mormon and the temple endowment ceremony are two examples. The church still uses mormon in its twitter handle. But not only are there many small changes to the book of mormon, there are some major changes as well, changes that drastically alter the meanings and the doctrine being taught. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations.
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. An early mormon doctrine by jerald and sandra tanner. We gave each child a calendar that they could mark off every time they read. Jun 11, 2009 a recent word change to the introduction of the book of mormon has once again brought attention to the question regarding the historical reliability of one of mormonisms most sacred texts. Recent changes to the book of mormon regarding race, blackness, skin color, etc thats not all. Changes to the bible in comparison most scholars agree that there are about 24,000 changes between 1611 version and the 1769 version of the kjv bible. Changes in the book of mormon, changes in the bible. There is a theory out there about how joseph smith came up with some of the place names in the book of mormon by copying and changing slightly a few town names from around where he lived in new york. A recent word change to the introduction of the book of mormon has once again brought attention to the question regarding the historical reliability of one of mormonisms most sacred texts.
Citing poor sales, deseret book opted in 2010 to cease printing mormon doctrine. Oct 18, 2018 another wish list for changes in the mormon church. Thanks for your willingness to give mormon stories a 2nd run. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of subjects to explore when it comes to the book of mormon and questions that need verification in the questioning minds of believers and nonbelievers alike. Few mormons are aware of the thousands of word changes and nature of the changes that have been made in the book of mormon, doctrine and covenants, and the pearl of great price since the first editions. A popular charge of antimormons is that the church is guilty of fraud because of changes in the book of mormon, or that the book of mormon cant be true and divine because corrections have been made. The approach will be to discuss the type of change. This interpretation, still dominant among members of the lds church, remained in the introduction to the book of mormon until recently. Another change affirms the teaching that the book of mormon alone contains the fullness of the gospel. To understand why some words were altered, reference will be made to the original and the printers manuscripts. Phrase searching you can use double quotes to search for a series of words in a particular order. The foundation for ancient research and mormon studies functions as a research and publication center that focuses on scholarly analysis of the book of mormon, the book of abraham, the old testament, the new testament, early christian history, and ancient temples. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies wikipedia.
538 22 831 243 411 1515 25 1629 676 572 780 1062 1169 766 684 1129 219 741 218 1309 1424 1635 1154 1173 760 689 682 446 877 340 543 1290 1328 684 1271 1154 1428 943 1203 1459 723 898 28 941