Is The Bible The Source of Truth?

Many Christians believe that the Bible is the only source concerning Truth since it contains all the Truth that Christians need to know.  As a result, there is no modern need for prophets and apostles. The term “sola Scriptura” or “the Bible alone” is often used to explain that there is only one special revelation from God that man possesses today, the written Scriptures or the Bible.

However, the Bible would not be possible with out prophets to write down what God revealed to humanity. Prophets are the medium by which Truth is given to mankind.  (Numbers 12:6, Deuteronomy 18:15, Deuteronomy 18:18, 2 Kings 21:10, 2 Kings 24:1-3,  1 Chronicles 29:29, 2 Chronicles 13:22, 2 Chronicles 18:6, 2 Chronicles 24:19, 2 Chronicles 26:22, 2 Chronicles 32:32, 2 Samuel 24:11, Ezra 5:1, Hosea 12:10, Zechariah 1:6, Amos 3:7, Haggai 2:1, Haggai 2:10, Jeremiah 35:15,  Jeremiah 37:6, Jeremiah 45:1, Jeremiah 47:1, Jeremiah 49:34, Jeremiah 50:1, Matthew 23:34, Acts 3:22, Ephesians 3:5, Hebrews 1:1, 1 Nephi 19:4, 1 Nephi 22:2,  Jacob 5:2,  Helaman 13:26,  D&C 21:1, D&C 107:92, D&C 124:94, D&C 124:125, and D&C 138:53).

As one studies the scripture, it is evident that God has a long-established pattern of calling prophets. Many well-known figures in the Bible, like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others, were prophets. These men were chosen by God and given authority to lead His people. However, when people chose to ignore God, God took prophets away and waited until the people were ready to listen again. Thus, from the beginning of time emerges a pattern of prophets teaching the people, the people eventually turning away from God (a state called apostasy), and God sending prophets again to show His love and concern for His children.

Prophets have always been essential to God's method of sharing His knowledge to mankind as shown throughout the scriptures. God provided prophets to create scripture, and at the same time teach them what had been revealed before, since God's followers did not have access to the scriptures because it would not be "completed" until much later. Thus, the God sent prophets to proclaim His Word to His people to educate those who did not have His Word. Prophets are essential to the religion as established by God. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 2:20, Ephesians 4:11, Revelation 11:10, D&C 124:125).

The Bible (and other scriptures) contain Truth but are not the source of Truth. The source of Turth comes from God Himself, who reveals Truth to his prophets and these prophets writes down what has been revealed to them. (2 Timothy 3:16–17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Old Testament clearly demonstrates that God Himself is the source of Truth and that prophets are the conduit by which Truth is revealed to humanity.  For example, King Jehoiakim had attempted to destroy God's Word by burning a roll written by Jeremiah. Yet, the Lord instructed Jeremiah take a new scroll and rewrite the words that were destroyed. (See Jeremiah 36: 27-28). However, not only did God have Jeremiah restore what was destroyed, but the Lord told him there were additional information (revelation) to write about on top of what was previously written before the King burned the roll.

This concept is also illustrated in the New Testament as well. For example, the Paul recived a revelation that the gospel should be taught to the Gentiles and not just the Jews. (Acts 10:1-48; 11:1-18). This revelation was then recorded as evidence that God still uses prophets to guide His people, even after Christ's death.

We also see this concept throughout the Book of Mormon. God gives specific instructions to His Prophets on what to write down and/or what not to write down. (see 2 Ne.4: 15, 2 Ne. 29: 11-12, 3 Ne. 27: 23-24 and 3 Ne. 28: 25).

The above scriptural examples from the Old Testament, New Testament and the Book of Mormon repeatedly show that the Bible itself is not the sole source of Truth. God is the source and inspiration of the scriptures and that the scriptures would not be possible without the prophets. There's no evidence that God shut the heavens and intended for mankind to only have the Bible. God frequently speaks to mankind via prophets thoughout history as evidenced by the scriptures and continues to do so today.

There are some Christans who have argued that the closing verses in the Book of Revelation, (specifically Rev. 22:18-19) cap off the Bible and define all the preceding Books as inspired by God. That is not possible because the Book of Deuteronomy contains similar verses (4:2 & 12:32). The only logical conclusion that the reader of the Bible can make is that God frequently revealed His Word to his Prophets throughout the Old and New Testament and that He continued to reveal Truth to people in other parts of the globe such as to those prophets in the Book of Mormon. God continues to provide revelation to His Prophets even today.

Another argument that some Christians make in defense of "Sola scriptura" is that there were to be no prophets after Christ. While, prophets are frequently found in the Old Testament, they are frequently found in the New Testament. Prophets existed in Christ's day. The New Testament shows that there was a prevailing belief in prophets before and during Christ's ministry. (Luke 7:16, Luke 7:28, Mark 6:4, Luke 11:29, John 4:19, John 4:44, John 6:14). The New Testament shows that prophets continued after Christ's death  and will continue until Christ returns again a second time. (Acts 11:27, Acts 13:1, Acts 15:32, Acts 21:10 and Revelation 11:10.) 

Another piece of evidence for prophets continuing after Christ's death is that Jesus warned that there would be many false prophets that would come after his death and that the followers of Christ should learn to discren who is a true prophet and who is not. (Matthew 7:15, Matthew 24:11, Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1). Interestingly enough, God warned about false prophets in the Old Testament too. (Deuteronomy 13:5, Jeremiah 14:14-15, Jeremiah 23:21, Jeremiah 27:14, Ezekiel 13:3, and Matthew 7:15.) The Book of Mormon has a similar warning about false prophets as well. (Helaman 13:27). It is clear that separating the true prophets from the false prophets have always been a problem in the Old and New Testament, as well as the Book of Mormon, and that it would continue into the future until Christ returns again. The important lesson here is that scriptures are clear in showing that God is the source of Truth and He will verify who are His true prophets. These true prophets are authorized to share what He has revealed for all of mankind.

The scriptures consistently teach that God is the source of Truth, the Prophets are the medium by which God reveals Truth to mankind, and that the scriptures (the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price) are a record of the Truth that God gave to his prophets.

God still speaks His Truth to us today through His Prophets and his message is currently being recorded, preserved and shared in multiple mediums such as books, magazines, media and the Internet.

ASL Translation of the Book of Mormon Now Available on the Gospel Library App

The LDS Church has made the Gospel Library a lot more awesome by putting up the ASL translation of the Book of Mormon in the App. Here's how you access the ASL translation:

1. Open the Gospel Library app on your mobile devise
(or download it if you don’t already have it)
2. Go to “settings”
3. Under “content,” select “American Sign Language”
4. Click on “scriptures”
5. Download “Book of Mormon”
6. Enjoy!

Additionally, the LDS Church has also made available ASL translations of other Church resources such as the Ezra Taft Benson manual on the App. For example if you wanted to see the Ezra Taft Benson manual in ASL, then after completing steps 1-3 above, click on “Teachings of the Presidents” and download “Ezra Taft Benson.”

You can switch back and forth between your ASL materials and your English materials any time you want by going to "settings" and switching the language.

You can also view the General Conference videos in ASL on your smart phone, tablet or other device.

NOTE: Several users have been reporting difficulties in accessing ASL translated materials on Android. The LDS Church has already recieved feedback on this problem and are currently reviewing the issue to fix it.

The Spiritual Reasons Why Natural Disasters Occur

It feels like major natural disasters are happening with more frequency as we see natural disasters such as hurricane Katrina and Sandy, monstrous tornadoes, earthquakes in diverse places and volcanoes erupting in different parts of the world. Many people wonder if there is any meaning behind these natural disasters. 

The scripture explains that God uses these events for many purposes such calling people to repentance, administering punishment for wickedness and disobedience, separating the righteous from the wicked and warning as well as announcing Christ's return. 

Lets review the scriptures to see what the spiritual significance of these events could be:

1. The Commotion in The Environment is the Earth's way of Testifying of Christ As the Savior. See D&C 88: 88-90.
2. The Commotion in the Environment is to serve as a voice of warning of Christ's imminent return.
3. Immediately prior to Christ's return on earth, there will be earthquakes, storms, tempests and thundering. This can be clearly seen prior to Christ's appearance somewhere on the American continent after his crucifixion in 3rd Nephi chapters 8 through 10. See also Isaiah 29:6, 2 Nephi 27:2, D&C 29:13 D&C 43:18; D&C 45:33, 48; D&C 49:23; D&C 84:118; and D&C 88:87.
4. It is also a method by which God speaks to both the righteous and wicked JS—H 1:45 in the house of Israel in the latter days. See 1 Nephi 19:11
5. It will be a means of shifting the wheat among the chaff as those who do not believe in Christ are destroyed by natural disasters, disease, warfare and famine while those who believe in Christ will be preserved.  See 1 Nephi 19:11, D&C 43:25, 2 Ne. 6:15
6. Natural disasters will be used to show God's unhappiness and anger towards the wicked which will serve as means of chastening and punishing them for their sins and because they won't repent. (See Psalms 83:15, Psalms 11:6 , D&C 87:6, D&C 29:17, Moses 7:34, Moses 8:17, Moses 7:38 , D&C 97:26, D&C 97:22, D&C 112:24
7. To punish those who have killed the Prophets. See 2 Ne. 26:5, 2 Ne. 26:6 
8. He will use natural disasters such as famine to get people to repent. See Ether 9:28, D&C 43:22
9. These natural disasters are an attempt to gather the nations of the earth under the protection of Christ. See D&C 43:25. However, such events can also be used to punish the wicked and scatter them throughout the earth. See 2 Ne. 10:6 and Isaiah 30:30.
10. To release God's people from oppression. See Moses and the 10 plagues of Egypt.
11. An earthquake will occur to initiate the resurrection of the righteous. See D&C 29:13 and  
12. These natural events will be a part of God's judgment for earth. See D&C 97:26, JS—H 1:45
13. These natural events are the natural consequences of sin, wickedness, spiritual and physical pollution on the earth and is considered one of the signs of the Last Days. See Mormon 8:31.

The Book of Mormon explains in 3rd Nuephi 10:14 that these events have been prophesied by God's prophets who have recorded these prophesies in the scriptures and that these prophecies about the natural disasters on earth have been or will be fulfilled.

Granted, it is difficult to tell if a natural disaster is just a natural occurrence or if there is something more deeper than that.  1 Kings 19: 11-12 reminds us that it is important to remember that not all natural disasters are messages from God. However, for whatever reasons why these events do happen, and despite the horrible things that do happen as a result of these natural disasters, its important to remember that God still interacts with His Children today as he did in the past and that we can use these events to draw closer to Him.

My Review Of The Book Of Mormon Broadway Show

This is a review of the Book of Mormon Broadway show at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles on September 2012 which did not feature the original cast of the Broadway play.  Unlike LDS commentators and bloggers who have given their thoughts about this play without having seen it, I have seen it.

The Book of Mormon Broadway show is one of the most awesome, thought provoking and wildly offensive show.

Lets get the obvious out of the way. This play was written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker who are well known for their deeply biting critique of everything. You shouldn't be surprised to that this is a play filled with swearing, sex jokes, scatological gags, and poking fun at religion, especially the LDS faith. Matt Stone and Trey Parker have poked fun at the LDS faith before with an episode dealing with the origins of Mormonism and a movie called Orgasmo which is about an LDS Missionary who becomes a porn star. 

Like every other project these men have engaged in, they exert every ounce of creative energy they have to produce top notch entertainment. Yes, their entertainment is irreverent but its not cheap. There is a reason why they have won 9 Tony Awards and a nominated for a Grammy. The actors were fantastic. The set was phenomenal. The music was awesome. The lighting was done right. When it comes to the art of theater, Matt Stone and Trey Parker absolutely deserved these awards. It was very evident from what I observed at the play.

This play is about two young LDS Missionaries who have been called to serve in Uganda, Africa. One of the missionaries, Elder Price, is self centered overachiever who dreams of serving mission to Orlando, Florida. The other missionary is Elder Cunningham who is an awkward, chubby but funny person who yearns for a best friend. These two unlikely friends become companions. Once they arrive in Uganda, they find that other missionaries have been unsuccessful in sharing the gospel. They find a people who are more concerned about their everyday problems of malaria, AIDS, diarrhea, warlords, and poverty than they are about what peace this American gospel might bring to them now or in the afterlife. These Ugandans have a justified reason for saying "Hasa Diga Eebowai" (Fuck You God) which is the title of one of the songs in the play.

As a result of not getting a single baptism, Elder Price begins to feel frustrated and unhappy. The other missionaries (who are all very flamboyant) sing "Turn It Off" in which they advise him suppress his negative feelings. Unable to overcome his frustrations, Elder Price ditches his companion to wander off on his own. Meanwhile, Elder Cunningham, now without a companion, inadvertently begins to take creative liberties with Mormon doctrine and with what the Book ff Mormon teaches in order to win converts. He begins to make up things in order to address their everyday concerns and questions for which cannot be found in the Book of Mormon. As a result, Elder Cunningham has created a new religion which is a hybrid of Mormonism and his imagination which is filled with Star Wars, and the Lord of the Rings. With this new religion, he forbids the people from engaging in certain practices. Now, the missionaries are baptizing like crazy.  This excites the Mission President and the local townspeople put on a play demonstrating what they've learned from Elder Cunningham which they sing the song "Joseph Smith American Moses." What the Mission President learns horrifies him and catches the other missionaries off guard. The Mission President is unhappy and threatens to shut the mission down.

While Elder Cunningham is off making converts, Elder Price is on a harrowing journey of what it means to be Mormon and what it is he really believes. He goes to hell in which he has a very "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" in which he sings about his sins. Elder Price finds his faith in hell and confronts the local warlord and sings about what "I Believe." The warlord, known as the General, takes Elder Cunningham and inflicts some pain on him. Having survived the torture, Elder Price shows up just as the Mission President is about to shut the mission down. He learns of what Elder Cunningham has been teaching and gets an idea. He confronts the warlord and threatens him with Divine Punishment based on Elder Cunningham's new religion. The General and his men flee. The people in this town of Uganda are happy that the Mormon helped them be free of this warlord. They sing a song titled "Tomorrow Is A Latter Day" with the Elders about a new and better tomorrow and say "Ma Ha Nei Bu, Eebowai." After that song, the show closes with a fabulous ending. 

The play has takes some of the usual observations about religion and presents them in an interesting, thought provoking and sometime irreverent light. This would be a great play for those who study religions and philosophy.

This play is about a religion that has arrived in a new land filled with people who are facing problems that unique that region. The play goes on a journey of how that religion struggles to gain converts and some creative liberties were taken to get people to join the religion. It shows how it morphs into a new faith that is a hybrid of local beliefs and the original religion.  This story is similar to the history of the Catholic faith in South America. It explores how ideas, beliefs and dreams are affected, shaped and changed by the land and people they are introduced to.

The Book of Mormon play also deals with the how people want to believe in a higher purpose but are more concerned about their everyday problems and how religion struggles in addressing it. Its not a problem unique to the most challenging parts of the world but in places that do not know war, hunger, disease and poverty.  The song "Sal Tay Ka Siti" demonstrates how people want to rise above their circumstances and to place where such things don't exist either in this life or the next.

One of my favorite aspects of this play was how the missionary work changes the person teaching the gospel and the person receiving it and how it affects the relationship dynamics of proselytizer and investigator. It is an aspect that I don't often see addressed in stories about religions. Its also the most realistic part of the play in a play filled with humor, sarcasm, sex jokes, and scatological gags. It delivers moments that would make any Mormon proud with songs such as "I believe," and "Baptize Me."   

One thing that I don't like about the play is when the missionaries (who are all very flamboyant) sing "Turn It Off" in which they sing about suppressing negative feelings and doubts. It doesn't really help the play in any way and I felt that it was an unneeded jab at religion.

Could Matt Stone and Trey Parker have made these points differently? Yes. For many Mormons, it is unfortunately that our ox got gored in this play. I can understand why some people of faith would be offended by this play. It pokes fun at religion. It also pokes fun at Mormonism. Thus, its not surprising why Mormons (and other faiths) would be upset by it and refuse to see it.

However, religion is a curious thing. It is bizzare. It is odd. It is funny. But its the people within the religion that make it is also spiritual, magical, and inspiring. That is Matt Stone and Trey Parker's message. Its also a topic worth exploring further because its a message that everyone needs to be reminded of because its applicable to everything else in life. Regardless of how we feel about religion, politics, business, or education, its the people that breathes life into those institutions we love or hate and create those touching and human moments within the framework of these institutions.

The LDS Church Reaching Out To People Who Have A Hearing Loss

The LDS Church is being aggressive in spreading the gospel online by creating a lot of new websites. The LDS Church is also being very proactive to meeting the needs of those who have some kind of hearing loss and would like to view Church videos online. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has announced that all videos posted online will be closed captioned: 

In the past, closed captioning has been offered for the live broadcast on television and satellite, but not on the Church’s website. Archived general conference content on LDS.org has included conference videos in American Sign Language (available by selecting ASL from the language drop-down menu), but not everyone who is Deaf or hard of hearing knows or uses ASL, said Christopher Phillips, manager of Disabilities Services for the Church.

Closed captioning, on the other hand, is more widely accessible and can be helpful to those without hearing disabilities as well. Captions also can help make video content more searchable online.

“This improvement will be a benefit to many who struggle with hearing loss, including those who might have lost their hearing later in life and haven’t had the opportunity to learn sign language,” said Karen Staley, a member of the Church who lives in Maryland and is Deaf. “The captioned videos will help make the gospel more accessible to a large group of people.”

The LDS Church has also posted the entire ASL translation of the Book of Mormon is now online for viewing by LDS members who communicate in American Sign Language. It also realize that this also great for Deaf members that belong to any Restorationist branch that would like to have access to the Book of Mormon in their language online. 

To go behind the scenes on what it took to create the ASL translation of the Book of Mormon, I highly recommend watching this interview between Richard Sutton and Minnie-Mae Wilding Diaz: 

Book of Mormon Broadway Musical Scores Grammy Nomination

Matt Stone and Trey Parker's Broadway musical, "The Book of Mormon" has been very successful for them. The won nine awards at the Tony Awards last year. for Today, they were nominated for a Grammy award for best musical theater album:  

 "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are competing against timeless composers Cole Porter and Frank Loesser for a 2012 Grammy Award. In the category of musical theater album, their new Broadway blockbuster "The Book of Mormon" was nominated Wednesday along with the albums for revivals of Porter's "Anything Goes" and Loesser's "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

The musical theater category honors the composers and lyricists for a show, as well as the producers and principal cast members.

"The Book of Mormon," released by Ghostlight Records, features songs by Stone, Parker and Robert Lopez. Cast members Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells also were included in the nomination. The hit comedy won nine Tony Awards this year, including the award for new musical.

Not only has the "Book of Mormon" been success musically, but also financially since they have recouped all the cost of making the play and are now generating a profit from the play:

The critically acclaimed Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon” has recouped its roughly $11.4 million capitalization after just nine months of performances, its producers said on Tuesday. “Mormon” is the first commercially successful musical from the 2010-11 season, which had an unusually large number of original musicals open, including the still-running “Sister Act” and “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and flops like “Catch Me If You Can” and “Wonderland.”

Since starting preview performances in mid-February, “Mormon” has broken the weekly box-office record at the Eugene O’Neill Theater 22 times. The show is regularly among the five highest-grossing productions on Broadway in spite of running in a theater with hundreds of fewer seats than most major musical theaters.

The producers make up for a small house by charging premium ticket prices of up to $477; as a result, theatergoers pay far more on average to see “Mormon” – about $170 during Thanksgiving week – than for other Broadway shows.

Given that people are willing to shell out money to pay premium to see this show, people obviously like the work of Matt Stone and Trey Parker and were confident that they would get their money's worth in seeing this play. But it was also a risk for them to be charging such high prices but the gamble paid off for them handsomely. 

Many LDS people are unhappy with this play because its disrespectful to our religion. I say, let them poke fun at us. We are a unique religion and there's no denying that. Rather than getting our feathers ruffled over it, let them laugh at us. Its ok. Some people will not want to learn about our Church because of this play. Perhaps a few people will. Overall, I think the result of this play is a positive one for the LDS Church and its members. 

The Book Of Mormon Musical: How Do Silly Stories Produce Good People?

The media is still buzzing about Matt Stone and Trey Parker's Broadway musical, “The Book of Mormon" and the sneak preview reviews have been mostly positive so far. The Broadway musical is set to open at the Eugene O’Neill Theater on March 24. However, sneak previews are one thing. What the general audience thinks is another.  

From what I can glean from reading various media accounts is that the play is pretty enjoyable. For example, Jon Stewart absolutely loves the play. You can see him gushing about it in his interview with Matt Stone and Trey Parker on the Daily Show:

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I am intrigued by how Mormons will feel about this Broadway musical. The play paints a mixed picture of what the Mormon church is about. Not all of it is flattering. Some of it may be offensive:

"It's sprinkled with jokes about Mormons discriminating against black people and repressed gay longings, but the creators of a new musical about Mormons say it won't attract the sort of religious controversy they are famous for. 

One of the most anticipated musicals this Broadway season, "The Book of Mormon," satirizes the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, sexualizes the ritual of baptism and has plenty of politically incorrect jokes."

At the same time, Matt Stone and Trey Parker believe that the play also demonstrates the goodness and sincerity of the LDS people even if people find our faith to be a bit odd: 

Parker and Stone cite a song called "I Believe" in the second act as an example of how the show mixes humor about the beliefs of Mormons with warmth for the two main characters, including rising actor Josh Gad as a bumbling missionary. 

"It's this whole song that gets huge laughs, but it doesn't have a single joke in it," Stone said. "It's just interesting, idiosyncratic things that Mormons believe, but at the same time it is a really heartfelt song from a devout Mormon, so it isn't really just laughing at this person. It works on both levels."

By all accounts, this play isn't hostile to a specific religion like A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant which was a satirical musical about Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard. However, that remains to be seen when The Book of Mormon Musical opens to the public. How the audience and members of the LDS church react remains to be seen.

Regardless of how the play is received, the creators of the Book of Mormon music pose an interesting and legitimate question about the LDS faith:

But having found that his Mormon neighbors were always good members of the community, Mr. Stone said, he had to wonder: “Do goofy stories make people nice? What if, in their goofiness, these stories somehow inspire that in the right way. Is that a social good?” 

I think these questions could be asked of any religion but I think given the fact that our religion is fairly new and recent in comparison to other religions, Mormonism is a good religion to use in exploring the general question about the value of religion have in people's live and society even if they are arguably based on silly stories. 

I pose a question to those that follow my blog: let us assume that the stories in the book of Mormon are just plain silly and are not true. What is it about our religion that produces good people? Is Mormonism a social good?

Bible Wars

One of the well known theological disagreements between Christians and Latter Day Saints is the Book of Mormon. Revelation 22:18 is often cited by Christians as biblical "proof" that there can’t be a Book of Mormon because of the belief that nothing should be "added to" or "taken away from" the Holy Bible.

Yet, there is a Bible war among Christians over which Bible is the correct one. 

For example, there is the King James Only movement in which some Christians believe that the King James Version (KJV) is the only true version of the Bible. In fact, some even go far as to argue that only the 1611 version of the Bible is the only true Bible and that other versions of the KJV, such as the New King James Bible (NKJV), are not.

Yet, other Christians don't believe in the idea that the KJV is the only true Bible. Pastor Steve Weaver, in his criticism of the KJV only movement, said something that caught my eye:

"One of the favorite verses used by advocates of King James Onlyism is Revelation 22:18-19..."

Hmmm. I've heard Revelations 22:18-19 being used against the Book of Mormon. But this is the first I've ever seen that passage used against...the Bible.

For a Mormon, its fascinating to see debates over which particular bible translation is "adding" or "taking away" from the Bible.

Adding Or Taking Away: Bible Translations

The reason why I find this amusing is because the criteria for accepting or rejecting a book is based on Revelations 22:18-19, then critics of the Book of Mormon are unfair and intellectually dishonest. Why? Because most Christian denominations are united or are in agreement in their rejection of Book of Mormon based on the same passage of the Bible, but are not united in agreement which version of the Bible is true.

Although all Christians accept the Bible, they're just not sure which one does or doesn't "add" or "take away" from the Bible.

Looking around the Internet, its clear that the debate over the which Bible edition or translation is the correct one is quite fierce. For example, you'll find that some believe that the New American Standard Bible (NASB) is "corrupt."

Others do not like the New International Version (NIV) and believe that it is a "perversion" of the Holy Bible. There are those who believe that The New American Standard Version (NASV) is not the "true" word of God.

The Today's New International Version (TNIV) is under criticism because it attempted make the Bible gender neutral and as a result, this is a distortion of the Bible.

There are those who are just unhappy with the Message Translation.

Even translations that have been offered by different faiths are under criticism.

For example, there are some who have issues with the Jehovah's Witness translation of the Bible, the New World Translation (NWT). A Christian website wonders aloud if the New World Translation is "valid" version of the Bible while another site claims that the Jehovah's Witnesses have changed the Bible to "suit its own theological bias."

Another example would be the criticism towards Joseph Smith's treatment of the Bible. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (now called the Community of Christ) calls it the Inspired Version of the Bible (I.V.) where as the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints call it the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST).

As you can see, no Bible is safe from Christian critics. 

The truth is that the Old Testament and New Testament has always been under constant revision ever since the beginning of recorded scripture. For example, the earliest known editing of the Bible comes in the form of the Documentary hypothesis which  holds that the first five books of Moses were later edited and redacted by unknown scribes or writers.

 Even Liberals and Conservatives Have Their Own Books!

Furthermore, its not just different religious groups that have their own Bible. Even people with certain political or social beliefs have their own "Bible". For example, some environmentalists have the Green Bible.

On the other side of the political spectrum, there is a small minority of conservatives who believe that the Bible has been edited with a liberal bias. As a result, the Conservative Bible Project was born because they want go back to a more politically pure Bible by making it more "conservative." Naturally, there are some Christians who aren't amused by the idea that the Bible needs to be "edited" for its proper political slant.

Even a famous politician such as president Thomas Jefferson edited his own Bible.

Adding Or Taking Away: How Many Books In The Bible?

Not all Bibles are the same. Some denominations have "extra" books in their Bibles. For example, Jeff Lindsay, an LDS apologist points out that

"the Roman Catholic Bible now has about twelve books more than the Protestant Bible, meaning that about 200 pages of text have been "subtracted" - one could say - from the Protestant Bible relative to the "traditional" Catholic Bible."(Source.)

There are other Bibles that have extra books that are not found in most European versions such as the Armenian Bible or the Ethiopic Bible.

Missing Books In The Bible: Adding Or Taking Away?

A final issue is that the Bible as we know it today may not be complete. In fact, there is a long list of non-canonical books referenced in the Bible. This means that there are books, prophecies, quotes and allusions that are not in the Bible. As a result, there is a fierce debate over missing Bible verses or how many books are in the Bible.

I came across a website created by a Christian named Dr. Paul Richardson who made this statement about the missing Books in the Bible:

 "I really wish I had these missing books. I would love to read them, wouldn't you?"

The Book of Mormon is just like the Bible. There are sacred writings mentioned in Book Of Mormon that are not found in the text. Here are a few examples: the teachings of King Benjamin, the words of Amulek and Alma. These words, along with some other writings, are missing from the Book of Mormon. 

Only God Edits The Scriptures

Only God can edit the scriptures. It is authorized under the direction of the Lord himself through prophets.  For example, King Jehoiakim had "taken away" from the scripture by burning a roll written by Jeremiah . Yet, the Lord instructed him to rewrite the words that were destroyed. (See Jeremiah 36: 27-28).

We see clearly that the King had "taken away" from the Bible, and yet, the Lord told Jeremiah to "add" to the scriptures by restoring what the King had destroyed. Not only did God have Jeremiah to restore what was lost but the Lord told him there were more things to write!

The Book of Mormon is like the Bible in which God tells His servants what to write down or what not to write down. (see  2 Ne.4: 15, 2 Ne. 29: 11-12, 3 Ne. 27: 23-24 and 3 Ne. 28: 25)

Another example can be seen when God, foreknowing that Joseph Smith would lose 116 pages of translation of the Book of Mormon, inspired Mormon to include the small plates with the other golden plates. Once Joseph Smith lost the manuscript, the Lord simply restored that which was lost by instructed Joseph to translate those small plates since it had the same period of time as contained in the lost manuscript.

Conclusion 

It is fascinating how some Christians criticize others about which Bible they are using and  yet, somehow, the Book of Mormon cannot be accepted because it is an extra scripture that violates Revelation 22:18-19. 

If Revelelation 22: 18-19 is the standard for which we judge the authenticity of scriptures and if the Bible can be accepted despite the various translations, editions, additions as well as subtractions, then the Book of Mormon should be accepted based on the same standard too because The Book of Mormon is just like the Bible.

Just a postscript: the dividing of the text into numbered chapters and verses as in the King James is “adding to” the Bible, as the original manuscripts do not have them. ;)

Charting The Book of Mormon: A Cool Way To Study The Book of Mormon

I accidentally came upon a great website, hosted by BYU, called "Charting the Book of Mormon" where you can get a visual understanding of the Book Of Mormon in the form of charts and graphs. Looking at some of the charts, its pretty detailed and comprehensive yet it is presented in an easy to understand format which goes along way in understanding the Book of Mormon.

This website is useful in a lot of ways. For those of you who are visual learners or like to have things presented in a logical and organized way, this is a great website to use as an aid to your study of the Book of Mormon. Even if you're not a visual learner, its a great personal study tool you can use to understand the more complex parts or aspects of the book. It is also resourceful for those of you who teach Gospel Doctrine and can use it when it comes time to teach the Book of Mormon in Sunday School.

I highly recommend the website and urge people to check it out.