Why Dont Christians Accept the Book of Mormon as Valid?

[tomspug]

I'm confused. Why did Joseph Smith put verbatim Bible quotes into the Book of Mormon and how does that create harmony whatsoever? From the perspective of someone you are trying to convince that the Book of Mormon is a divine text, it only looks like copying and pasting (especially when the quote is in the EXACT same translation as the popular Bible translation of Joseph Smith's lifetime).

 

[FFH]

I'm confused. Why did Joseph Smith put verbatim Bible quotes into the Book of Mormon and how does that create harmony whatsoever? From the perspective of someone you are trying to convince that the Book of Mormon is a divine text, it only looks like copying and pasting (especially when the quote is in the EXACT same translation as the popular Bible translation of Joseph Smith's lifetime).

These are inspired texts, there's no other explanation.

Christ is the word, who wrote these texts, by inspiration given to man...

Doctrince and Covenants 133: 61 (LDS scripture)
...And this according to the mind and will of the Lord, who ruleth over all flesh.

 

[tomspug]

Well, if you can't give an explanation, then my doubt will persist and so will the doubt of others.

 

[lunamoth]

I suppose there's as much reason to accept the Book of Mormon as there would be to accept the other gnostic (outside tradition) gospels.

 

[nutshell]

Tomspug, there's two reasons:

1. The people in the Book of Mormon had early scriptures, such as Isaiah's writings.

2. Jesus Christ appeared to the people of the Book of Mormon and taught them the same things he taught to those in Israel.

 

[Katzpur]

I'm confused. Why did Joseph Smith put verbatim Bible quotes into the Book of Mormon and how does that create harmony whatsoever? From the perspective of someone you are trying to convince that the Book of Mormon is a divine text, it only looks like copying and pasting (especially when the quote is in the EXACT same translation as the popular Bible translation of Joseph Smith's lifetime).

I'm not sure whether you're referring to the passages that are similar to those in Isaiah or to those that are similar to those in Matthew (from Christ's Sermon on the Mount). There is a different reason for the inclusion of each of these.

First, Isaiah. When Lehi's family left Jerusalem at roughly 600 B.C., they took with them copies of the holy scriptures of the Jews, specifically the writings of Isaiah. Isaiah's writings are mentioned by name perhaps two dozen times in the Book of Mormon, and Nephi (Lehi's son) specifically states, "My soul delighteth in the words ofIsaiah." There is never any attempt made to plagiarize the words; Isaiah is always given credit for them. The Nephites just included his writings in their own sacred record. They aren't actually even identical to the ones found in the Bible, which indicates that their copy may have been slightly different from the copies which survived to be included in today's Bibles. If it had been Joseph Smith's intention to do a simple cut and paste, he sure wasted a lot of his time in making changes. The 21 chapters of Isaiah which are quoted in the Book of Mormon make up only about one third of the book of Isaiah in the Bible and account for less than 3% of the Book of Mormon. When you stop to consider that Isaiah is quoted more often by Jesus, Paul, Peter and John than any other Old Testament prophet, it's not surprising that the Nephite prophets would have also quoted him so extensively.

The verses in 3 Nephi that are close to or identical to those from the Savior's Sermon on the Mount can be explained by the fact that it was Jesus giving the same sermon to His disciples in the New World as He had given to His disciples in the Old World. Of course there are additions to His sermon to the Nephites, things that are not in the Bible. But the fact that He would have given such an important sermon to two groups of people is quite logical. It would almost be surprising if He had not taught the Nephites the same basic truths and He'd been teaching for three years over in the Holy Land.

 

[Melissa G]

Always supposing these mythical Nephites ever existed, which of course is totally unproven. SO in the light of no Nephites, you have to conclude Mr Smith copied parts of the KJV, It's interesting to note, he didn't actually copy parts of the Torah, Perhaps Moroni didn't understand Hewbrew

Melissa G

 

[Francine]

Deleted by author

 

[Bishka]

Always supposing these mythical Nephites ever existed, which of course is totally unproven. SO in the light of no Nephites, you have to conclude Mr Smith copied parts of the KJV, It's interesting to note, he didn't actually copy parts of the Torah, Perhaps Moroni didn't understand Hewbrew

Melissa G

Is there a point to your post?

Lack of proof does not constitute that they did not exist.

 

[Francine]

Jesus Christ appeared to the people of the Book of Mormon and taught them the same things he taught to those in Israel.

Unfortunately, there is a discrepancy between what was taught to those in Israel, and what was taught to those in America. In Israel, they learned that man began as natural and ended up spiritual. In America, they learned of the pre-existence (spiritual), and the afterlife (spiritual), with earthly existence in the middle like peanut butter in a sandwich.

1 Cor 15:44 ...There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. [45] And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. [46] Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

 

[Bishka]

Unfortunately, there is a discrepancy between what was taught to those in Israel, and what was taught to those in America. In Israel, they learned that man began as natural and ended up spiritual. In America, they learned of the pre-existence (spiritual), and the afterlife (spiritual), with earthly existence in the middle like peanut butter in a sandwich.

1 Cor 15:44 ...There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. [45] And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. [46] Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

I wasn't aware that Jesus Christ wrote 1 Corinthians......

 

[tomspug]

I wasn't aware that Christ wrote any book of the Bible.

 

[Francine]

I wasn't aware that Christ wrote any book of the Bible.

Christ is the Word made flesh. The bible is the word made into hardcopy. Same Word. Same teachings. Christ is not divided against Himself.

 

[tomspug]

Yes, yes, I meant physically written. I was responding to Bishka's comment that 1 Corinthians isn't authoritative.

 

[Bishka]

Yes, yes, I meant physically written. I was responding to Bishka's comment that 1 Corinthians isn't authoritative.

And where did I state that?

Do not put words into my mouth. :no:

The reason she did not see my post is because she has me on ignore.

 

[DeepShadow]

Unfortunately, there is a discrepancy between what was taught to those in Israel, and what was taught to those in America. In Israel, they learned that man began as natural and ended up spiritual. In America, they learned of the pre-existence (spiritual), and the afterlife (spiritual), with earthly existence in the middle like peanut butter in a sandwich.

Where were the Nephites taught about the pre-existence? I missed that part.

 

[DeepShadow]

I'm confused. Why did Joseph Smith put verbatim Bible quotes into the Book of Mormon and how does that create harmony whatsoever?

Would it be easier to believe the Book of Mormon if it didn't share any of the same words?:sarcastic

From the perspective of someone you are trying to convince that the Book of Mormon is a divine text, it only looks like copying and pasting (especially when the quote is in the EXACT same translation as the popular Bible translation of Joseph Smith's lifetime).

But many of the quotes are NOT the exact same. Some are distinctly different, in ways that Joseph Smith could not have understood at the time. How would he know he was repairing a chiasmus when he put in the part about pleasant pictures and ships of Tarshish? Why would he copy large sections verbatim, and THEN arbitrarily add things that didn't have doctrinal significance, but that repaired poetic symmetry?

Pointing out the verbatim parts is a cherry-picking fallacy.

 

[DeepShadow]

Always supposing these mythical Nephites ever existed, which of course is totally unproven. SO in the light of no Nephites, you have to conclude Mr Smith copied parts of the KJV, It's interesting to note, he didn't actually copy parts of the Torah, Perhaps Moroni didn't understand Hewbrew

Wow, that'd be a strong argument...except that parts of the Torah ARE in the Book of Mormon.

 

[kai]

Why don't Christians accept the Book of Mormon to be true? It testifys of Christ our Savior, as the Messiah, the Great Mediator. And it's a solid Book, it has substance. dont you mean other christians and dont any other christians accept it?

You don't believe there is any way that Christ would have appeared to his "Sheep of another fold" (mentioned in the bible) in the americas after his ressurection. Or that Both God and Christ would appear to a modern day prophet. they dont beleive it about mohamed or the bab either

Yet, they believe that God, or even the "Mother Mary" would speak to 6 old women in Bosnia? Source

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on why you think the way you do.

well i am not really a practising christian but none of them can agree on anything anyway

 

[Francine]

Where were the Nephites taught about the pre-existence? I missed that part.

Are you saying this is not part of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ? Because it is, then even the Church of the book of Acts were taught the pre-existence, let alone the Nephites in 4 Nephi when Christ came to them. And if it is not part of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, why do I have a pamphlet called The Plan of Salvation with the doctrine revealed in there?