Changes in the book of mormon

With the second edition of the book of mormon, published in 1837. Jerald and sandra tanners 1965 publication, 3,9 changes in the book of mormon, has probably had a greater influence. Changes in the book of mormon exposed by earl erskine. The geographical setting of the book of mormon is the set of locations of the events described in the book of mormon. Although this section is only partially complete, it will eventually show every change made to the book of mormon since it was first published in 1830. It introduces the book of mormon to the modern reader by providing background information and a description of the book. Alma 57 activities and song visuals for primary and home, family home evening individual families, sunday school, seminary. The original text betrays its new england origin in many ways, from inconsistent spelling to incorrect use of tenses and number, as well as. Oct 11, 2018 the bulk of the revisions are grammatical and the hosts point out a few of the most common changes. The book of mormon is the scripture embraced by followers of joseph smith in his 1830s latterday saint movement.

You know and i know that if a person will read the book of mormon, it will describe that change and how to have it and. Critical texts have previously been prepared for important historical and literary works but until fairly. By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. Joseph fielding smith, the tenth president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, proclaimed. The most prominent of these changes has been to replace which with who or whom or that when it refers to people. For god is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. We outline all the book of mormon changes since the original publication. 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. Why would the mormon church continue to change the work even after joseph.

Book of mormon journalmosiah 46 mighty change read more. Much like lamoni calls approach in the 1890s, jerald tanner sat down eighty years later with an 1830 edition and a 1964 edition of the book of mormon and annotated all changes he could identify. Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new thinking about an ancient people. The book of mormon is perhaps the most corrected book in the world. Jul 01, 2011 as stated earlier, the mormon church has made many changes to the book of mormon in order to correct josephs poor grammar and spelling. Since its first publication in 1830, the book of moron has undergone thousands of changes.

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. There have been thousands of changes to the exact text of the book of mormon since its first printing, in. Book of mormon editions 18301981 the encyclopedia of. 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. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. Interestingly, the spelling problems in the book of mormon paralleled earlier kinds of spelling changes in the english bible. Analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon, 2nd. Changes to the book of mormon there are 39 changes that have been made to the book of mormon, some of which are significant doctrinal changes. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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.

Although the fact of the changes cannot be questioned, the reason for them and their significance as asserted by the tanners are certainly questionable. A photo reprint of the original 1830 edition of the book of mormon with all the changes marked compared to a 1964 edition. For example, consider the word sins, which had been spelled synnes and became sinnes in the 1611 king james version. This is the first published text of the book of mormon to show the precise history of many textual variants. 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. The book of mormon online lottery is currently suspended due to the ongoing covid19 situation and uk government advice. The most significant type of grammatical change in the book of mormon has been to remove the early modern english that is characteristic of the king james bible. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. Although it serves primarily as a religious text, it is to be interpreted literally as being an actual, historical record of the inhabitants of the ancient. Come follow me book of mormon june lesson 22 have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts. The book of mormon is another testament of jesus christ and is one of the main differentiators. Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes.

But the most common changes have not been in spelling, but in grammar. These changes have only been applied to the first part of the book of mormon. Only a handful of copies were distributed before the press was destroyed. 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. A forum for exmormons and others who have been affected by mormonism to share news, commentary, and comedy about the mormon church. For example, there have been 891 changes of which to who, 177 changes of exceeding. Gardner earned a masters degree in anthropology and mesoamerican ethnohistory from the state university of new york at albany.

Mormon leaders have been hard at work to change missionary expectations, temple rituals, and curriculum to improve the latterday saint experience for millennials and generation z. Former lds bishop earl erskine talks about the changes he found in the book of mormon on polygamy. Changes in the book of mormon exposed by earl erskine youtube. Enrique serpa bustamante, a member from lima, peru, thinks of the book of mormon as letters from a loving parent. There also have been many important changes in the pearl of great price. 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.

Why has the church found it necessary to make changes any. 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. The book of commandments, published in july 1833, was a compilation of early lds revelations. To understand why some words were altered, reference will be made to the original and the printers manuscripts. The earliest text, the definitive scholarly edition of the book of mormon, published in 2009 by yale university press. 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. Analytical and contextual commentary on the book of mormon and the gift and power. An original first edition book of mormon has been photographed and is available for viewing at. The church has in its possession wilford woodruffs original copy, but for generations prohibited viewing or publication, denying access requ. The approach will be to discuss the type of change. Translating the book of mormon religious studies center. A critical text of the book of mormon was published in 19841987 by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. The most prominent is changing which to who, our father which art in heaven was the original reading for the lords prayer in 3 nephi edited to our father who art in heaven which is what we would expect at least with respect to that relative pronoun. Why is this so if the book of mormon was translated accurately by the hand of god.

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. Understanding textual changes in the book of mormon. Alma 5 and the book of mormon s plagiarism of the new testament. This six book set, entitled analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon atv, fulfills the central task of the critical text project, to restore the original text of the book of mormon to the extent possible using scholarly means. The arguments are rather weak but need to be dealt with. The unannounced fix may have been minimized by the church, but for all practical purposes it meant they were conceding smith had to be wrong about the lineage of people mentioned in the book of mormon. Then i would like to turn to the issue of changes in the text to the book of mormon. The reasons why this church flew under the radar for so long are as numerous as the changes made to its premiere canon. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. 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. 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.

Recent media attention has verified last months expositor report of significant changes in the mormon temple ritual news of the changes in the ceremony was pick up by wire services and received nationwide coverage including a front page story in the new york times, comments by paul harvey, and a report in time magazine. The claim is often heard that there are more than 4000 changes to the book of mormon text. Book of mormon word change christian research institute. Im first going to describe the critical text project, some of its major findings. Racism the church made changes to the book of mormon to soften its racism. The book of mormon, the pearl of great price, and the doctrine and covenants are accepted as scripture without any qualifications whatsoever. Above all, were these words given by the gift and power of god. How coming to christ through the book of mormon changes. Alterable decrees the evolving doctrines of the church necessitated. Smith is full of bluff and bluster, and is a fraud. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. The introduction to the book of mormon was not a part of the original plates.

See natural born seer, 3868 for an extensive list of book of mormon changes. Joseph originally taught that jesus and the father were the same person and that god had always been god. If you are witnessing to mormons this is a great resource. King benjamin touches on several great topics as he concludes his sermon putting off the natural man, a mighty change, taking christs name upon us are a few of the most noticeable in this weeks reading. Understanding the nature of the thousands of small changes in the book of mormon may be helpful and interesting. In all, the digitalonly handbook is about 800 pages long. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of errors.

The arguments are rather weak but need to be dealt with thats the purpose of this page. The changes made in the book of mormon and in joseph smiths revelations have apparently caused the mormon church leaders some concern, for they fear that their people will find out about them. Do you think theyll change the name of the book of mormon. Mormon temple ritual changes watchman fellowship, inc. Yet, the book which joseph smith declared was the most correct of any book on earth history of the church, vol. Book of mormon fhe lesson a mighty change of heart lds. Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new thinking. Significant textual changes in the book of mormon signature. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of.

The book of mormon musical official london website tickets. Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes the. Feb 27, 2020 the church of jesus christ of latterday saints has stewardship over the book of mormon and will do everything in its power to put a copy of the book into your hands in your own language. Doctrinal changes godhead changes were made to the book of mormon after joseph smith changed his doctrine from monotheism. Until now, i have not published a printed version of the second half of my original presentation, changes in the book of mormon. Only a handful of copies were distributed before the. The change that was made to the introduction of the book of mormon took place in 2007. Come follow me book of mormon june lesson 22 have ye.

While early critics noticed changes between various editions of the book of mormon, the first book to focus strictly upon those changes was lamoni calls 1898, 2000 changes in the book of mormon. Despite the faith of believers that the book of mormon is the most correct of any book, ever since smith dictated the text to scribes in 1827, there have been significant modifications with each printing. Why did lehi and jeremiah find themselves in a dark and dreary wilderness. Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith.

There is no universal consensus among mormon scholars regarding the placement of these locations in the known world, other than somewhere in the americas. Contains a 16page introduction by jerald and sandra tanner which shows that the changes are not in harmony with the original text. 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. The church released an official response to inquiries regarding the musical, stating, the production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the book of mormon as a volume of scripture will change peoples lives forever by bringing them closer to christ. We will be monitoring the situation and will keep audiences updated in regards to future performances and lottery draws. This should not have been necessary, however, given the manner in which joseph is supposed to have produced this book. Joseph originally taught that jesus and the father were the same person and that god had always been god, but later developed the idea that the father and son were separate gods, each with a tangible body. While there have been some changes from the first edition of the book of mormon, most of the edits were corrections to spelling and other single word changes. A popular traditional view among many latterday saint faithful covers. The work of comparing the page 51 books was a long, tedious job for a working man. Church removes racial references in book of mormon headings. In the book of mormon, the people of king benjamin experienced this mighty change.

What sacrifices did lehi offer to god in the wilderness. Debate renewed with change in book of mormon introduction. According to the book of mormon, jesus christ appeared and preached to the nephites in the americas after his crucifixion. 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. Book of mormon problems lds church members are taught that the book of mormon bom is scripture, as well as a true record of the inhabitants of the americas from about 2200 bc to 420 ad. In fact when the tanners state that joseph smith tried to change the book of mormon to support his concept of. Many mormon church members, including church leaders, stumbled across the changes them selves, and noticed the doctrinal significance. The most significant kind of grammatical change though, in the book of mormon text, has been to remove king james version language. 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. Some of the revelations that appear in the doctrine and covenants have had hundreds of words added to them. Feb 19, 2020 additionally, the book changes the name of disciplinary councils to membership councils, with their purposes they may be necessary to help a person repent, the handbook says and procedures explained across 65 pages in chapter 32. 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. Our heavenly father wrote letters through the prophets, giving counsel, comfort, and guidance for our good and blessing us at all times. The methodology employed by call was unsophisticated.

Have everyone pay attention to the specific actions the people took. The second edition of volume 4 of the book of mormon critical text project. May 21, 2018 jerald and sandra tanners 1965 publication, 3,9 changes in the book of mormon, has probably had a greater influence. 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. Joseph smith said that the golden plates from which he supposedly got the book of mormon, were translated letterbyletter, and by the power of god and that the book of mormon was, the most correct of any book on earth. Joseph smith said that the golden plates from which he supposedly got the book of mormon, were translated letterbyletter, and by the power of god and that the book of mormon was, the most correct of any book.

Why new testament words and phrases are in the book of mormon part 9. 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. Changes in the book of mormon book of mormon central. Another change affirms the teaching that the book of mormon alone contains the fullness of the gospel. Book of mormon changes almost all spelling, grammar, and. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism the arch and the keystone. A photoreprint of the original 1830 edition of the book of mormon with all changes marked compared to a 1964 edition. However, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon. The book is divided into smaller books that read as narratives.

The book of mormon is indeed a gift intended to bring us, gods children, to a knowledge of the true gospel of jesus christ. How coming to christ through the book of mormon changes everything. One of the first publications documenting the massive changes, 3,9 changes in the book of mormon was produced by the tanners you can order a copy at utah lighthouse ministry. Examples of later verses in which the trinitarian image of gods was retained, are mosiah 16.