Mormons believe in—Scripture

In the {Article of Faith #7} we learn about Gifts of the Spirit, as described to us by the prophets and apostles in the scriptures. Scripture is so important! It is a sacred record of God's dealings with His people since the days of Adam and His revelations and commandments. I revere and love the Bible and the Book of Mormon for just those reasons.

Our church uses the King James version of the Bible. The translation began in 1604 and took 7 years to complete. This was the third translation into English to be approved by the English Church authorities. King James gave the translators instructions, with the intent to guarantee the new version would conform to the ecclesiology and episcopal structure of the Church of England. This translation took 47 scholars, all of whom were members of the Church of England. Like most other translations of that period, the New Testament was translated from Greek; the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew.

While we believe the Bible to be the word of God, we also realize that there are bound to be errors as a result of translating from one language to another, personal agendas, and imperfect understanding. This is not a critique on those who worked so hard to give us the Bible in the English language; merely a reasonable conclusion based on what we know of the situation.

The prophets and apostles who recorded the stories and revelations did so under the direction and guidance of God. Of that I have no doubt. Scripture is holy because it is the word of God. When it was first recorded by the prophets and apostles it was undiluted truth. But what was lost through the imperfect translations of many men? What if the scriptures could have been translated into English and retained their full power and meaning as God intended?

The Book of Mormon is just such a book of scripture: translated by the power of God through a prophet of God. I know such a statement may be met with skepticism and possibly even downright derision. I'm ok with that. Bear with me just long enough to ask: Could such a book of scripture exist? 

Let me tell you a little bit about this translation: Joseph Smith, at the age of 24, spent 65 working days translating the Book of Mormon (between April 7 and June 30, 1829). It took him only 65 days to translate a book that, in the current edition, is 531 pages long. That's 8 pages a day! (Ensign, Jan. 1988). Ok let's postulate that he wasn't translating, but he was really just writing this book himself with the intent to pass it off as scripture. Compare that with how long it took for the Bible to be translated: The Bible is about 1600 pages long. I'll be generous and say it took the 47 scholars only 2 years to translate 530 pages of that. I throw that information out there just as something to think about, not as proof that the Book of Mormon is scripture.

What could it mean if Joseph Smith's story is true, and the Book of Mormon is pure scripture? The only way to truly know if any book is scripture is to read it and ask God if it's not true. This is a promise made in James 1:5-6 and it is made again at the end of the Book of Mormon in Moroni 10:3-5. In my limited experience, God always keeps His end of the deal. And when it comes right down to it, learning more about God is between you and God. No one knows us better, and no one can answer our questions with more authority than Him. Never be afraid to ask, and always have faith that He will answer.

Continue Reading: {Article of Faith #9} God communicates with us through revelation.