Part 1: Introduction
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints frequently tout how much they “believe in the Bible”
They love it. It is God’s word (so long as it is translated correctly). It fits right in with other scripture they deem from God.
But, do the Mormons really believe in the Bible, much less believe it at all or are they just playing with words to try to convince the outside world of their true sentiments?
The opening video introducing a study to answer the question.
Part 2: Old Testament Word Study on Believe
In Part 1, the question was asked, “Do the Mormons Really Believe in the Bible?”
In Part 2, we begin our search for an answer to the question by first looking at the Old Testament and what the Hebrew word “believe” means.
Is it equal to what the Mormon means when he/she claims to believe in the Bible?
What bearing does the Hebrew have on the New Testament and its rendering into the Greek? What impact does the Old Testament have on the Mormons recognized English preference, at least officially so, the King James Version?
After viewing this short video, you will start to see that the Mormon claim begins to wear thin very quickly.
Part 3: New Testament Word Study on Believe
In Part 3, we look at the primary word for “believe” in the New Testament; this is a carry-over from Part 2, where we discovered that the Hebrew word has a direct bearing upon the Greek rendering.
Given that the New Testament word, pisteuo and its derivatives, is as emphatic as the Hebrew word, when it is applied to the Mormon claim that they believe in the Bible, does it support the claim or contradict it?
While many may not give it much thought about what it means to believe, including most, if not all, Mormons, then this study will not only strengthen those who are committed to God’s Word, as well as their profession of faith, or it will expose a deception.
This video will segue into Part 4, or, what the Mormons really believe about the Bible, as seen from what they believe is superior to the Bible.
Part 4: Book of Mormon Assertions about the Bible
In the previous two parts in this series, the question of belief was dealt with from both the Old and New Testaments.
In Part 4, what the Book of Mormon has to say about the Bible is examined.
Does the Book of Mormon laud the Bible like the Mormons do?
Is it inspired Word of God that is to be trust without question, as the word “belief” stipulates in the Bible?
Or do we find that the Bible is notorious for producing, among other things, Satanists!?
The only way to find out answers to these questions, as well as other pertinent to the overall question of whether or not the Mormons really believe the Bible is watch the video.
Part 5: Mormon Assertions about the Bible
In Part 5, we turn from what the Book of Mormon asserted about the Bible to what the Mormons themselves have asserted about the Bible.
Since the Bible is allegedly corrupt, distorted, and missing many plain and precious things, then can we expect the Mormons to all of the sudden laud the wonders the of the Bible and genuinely mean it? Hardly.
Not only is the Bible seen as something inferior to all of the extra-biblical writings found in Mormonism, the defamation of the Bible is even worse, as it streams forth from the pens of those viewed as Mormon authorities, than the attacks leveled by Joseph Smith, when he wrote the Book of Mormon.
What you will see in this presentation is what the Mormons really believe about the Bible and it completely contradicts everything you might see in all those public relations pieces that portray the Mormons as Bible-loving “Christians” that just want to get along with everyone by getting everyone to reject the Bible.
That said, if the current Bible that they use, the King James Version, is essentially a dilapidated piece of pestilent propaganda formed by the devil himself to create his own followers, then what Bible do the Mormons actually point to that is as pristine as the Utah snow in mid-winter?
The answer to that question comes in the next video.
Part 6: The Joseph Smith Translation
Since Joseph Smith was wholly unsatisfied with the Bible that the whole of Christianity had been using for roughly 1,500 years to propagate the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he needed something more “adequate” to prove that everyone else was all wrong and he was all right.
The Book of Mormon was not sufficiently garnering enough attention to produce followers, mainly because many looked upon Smith as a precocious farm boy with a wild imagination and his “golden bible” as an extension of his roguery.
So, shortly after producing the Book of Mormon, he took to “translating” the Bible; there were too many theological and historical holes in the Bible itself that were not supportive of his fantastic story, as well as the claim that the Bible was “missing many plain and precious things.”
The end result was the Joseph Smith Translation or the Inspired Version of the Bible.
But, was it really a translation at all, much less was it inspired?
Or was it simply more of what is found in Smith’s rogue document, the Book of Mormon?
Did Smith really “restore” the things that were missing from the Bible or did he merely add what he thought God should have said, not what He really did say?
Part 7: Summary and Conclusion
After several weeks producing the video series concerning the question of whether or not the Mormons believe the Bible, we come to the summary and conclusion.
In Part 1, the question was introduced: Do the Mormons Really Believe the Bible? They say they do. But, is their profession consistent? The only way to find out was to do go beneath the surface, so to speak, on what the word Believe means and then compare it with what the Mormons have to say about it, as well as the Bible itself.
Parts 2 and 3 dealt with the word Believe from both the Old and New Testaments. Although it might have been a bit much for some people, those who stuck with it to the end found it greatly rewarding, as understanding what words mean always brings clarity to any conversation.
Part 4 revealed what the Book of Mormon said about the Bible and it was not a great testimony. In fact, it was an indictment—against God! Not only was the Bible “missing many plain and precious things,” those who subscribed to it were turned into Satan worshipers! Such damning commentary provided a segue for Joseph Smith’s second literary production, the Joseph Smith Translation.
Part 5 highlighted what the Mormon authorities have said about the Bible. Their commentary was not a great confidence booster either, as one respected leader within the Mormon ranks after another repeated the same line of reasoning found within the pages of the Book of Mormon concerning the Bible. It was corrupted, misleading, distorted, insufficient, erroneous, and so forth. If the Mormons really believe in the Bible, a person could not tell it by listening to the LDS leadership.
Part 6 looked at and exposed the Joseph Smith Translation. In order for Joseph Smith to pass on his ideas, none of which appeared in the Bible, he had to come up with a “new and improved” version of the Bible that he would claim was a “translation,” when in reality it was a rogue. Not only did Smith not produce a legitimate translation of the Bible, his additions and deletions that he imposed upon the King James Version of the Bible were based solely upon his personal opinions.
So, in Part 7, the conclusion is drawn that based on the mountain of objective evidence, the Mormon not only do not believe in the Bible, they do not believe the Bible either. They simply cannot. Only those who ignore the evidence would argue to the contrary.