I was having a conversation with a friend about how doctrine changes in the Church. I made the claim that a form of the trinity is taught in the Book of Mormon, most clearly evident in Abinadi’s teachings. He told me that that isn’t possible, because he knows that our view of the Godhead must be right, and that the Book of Mormon is true. He said that he prayed to know that the Book of Mormon is true and received confirmation that it is, and therefore Abinadi could not preach something that is false. What does it mean to pray if a “book” is true? Does that mean every sermon is true? Every verse? Every line? What did Moroni mean when he said to pray if “these things” are true?
Moroni 10: 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. 6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.
What are “these things” that Moroni is referring to? Is it the entire book? I propose that the answer is no. How do I know? Moroni’s purpose is not to convince them to believe in a book, but to believe in the message of the book. What is the message? One need only to read what Moroni has been talking about outside of that handful of verses: To believe in Christ. He gives yet another summary of his message in the rest of the chapter. This message of the Book of Mormon is repeated over and over. Here is a partial list of verses that lay out the purpose of the Book of Mormon: D&C 3:16-20, D&C 10:41-70, 3 Nephi 5:13-19, Mormon 3:17-22, Mormon 5:8-24, Mormon 7-9, Ether 4-5, Moroni 7, Moroni 10, 1 Nephi 13, 2 Nephi 29-30, Enos 1:13-20, Book of Mormon Title Page.
We should not assume that every part of the Book of Mormon is true. Indeed the authors tell us that that isn’t the case: “And now, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse myself” 1 Nephi 19:6. We are often told that if we pray if the Book of Mormon is true that means Joseph Smith is a prophet and so we having living prophets meaning the Church is true. That is not the message of the Book of Mormon. We can choose those conclusions if we wish, but the Book of Mormon makes no such claim. Praying about the Book of Mormon is to teach us about Christ.
I’ll describe this in a different way. Let’s say that we prayed if our leaders are inspired of God to lead his Church and received a confirmation that they are. Would that mean that every word that they speak is inspired? We are told repeatedly that Church leaders make mistakes. Even if we could pray to know if a book as a whole is somehow true, that wouldn’t mean that every statement in it is. We still have the obligation to gain a testimony of individual principles. The answer might even be that some of them are wrong or poorly explained.
Moroni and his father Mormon did want us to believe that their words were true, but not so we could simply believe in the book. Believing in a book doesn’t do us any good. Gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon becomes a weird abstract concept in that sense. Why must we believe in a book? Is God worried about what books we believe or the messages that are contained in them? And more than the importance of the message is what we do after hearing it. Which is why Moroni ends the book by asking us to do something: pray to know that you should follow the instructions in the book. “Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you” Mormon 7:8. The message is to repent, be baptized, and follow the gospel of Christ. The first step is to believe that Christ is the way and we do that by praying to know that. That is Moroni’s Promise, that we can know that this is the correct path, and that Christ is the way.
Bravo! I have made a similar point many times in Institute (here in North Carolina, with little supervision (hahaha!)). I, for example, love Nephi because I see myself in him; self-righteous, judgmental, intolerant of his brothers. In fact, Grant Hardy in _Understanding the Book of Mormon_ describes a Nephi who could feel the need to justify his failure to keep the family together. Once you look a Nephi a little bit critically, I believe, he becomes a very complex and interesting person. And, I would say that I love him more for that! The idea that Nephi massaged his writings as a response to his character and needs could be a very threatening one IF I had to believe that the record is perfect (whatever “perfect” means). But to say that I can read the book and trust that the Holy Ghost will tell me what is true about it, what is true in it, and will witness to the book’s central message of Christ, that is a refreshing, wonderful, and liberating idea. It also means that I don’t have to turn a blind eye to the book’s racism or other human errors, since I can trust that God will witness the truth to me.
Shawn, I think your points about praying about individual parts of the Book of Mormon is a useful extension of my article. As I said about our leaders, even if we pray to know that they are led by God, that still means we have to pray about individual principles and doctrines that they preach. In that way the Holy Ghost can teach us, and we take personal ownership over those ideas. When we accept everything taught in the Book of Mormon without thought or prayer than we can miss that important aspect of Gospel learning. I also think that sometimes it can lead to the rejection of certain ideas, however, which is sometimes an uncomfortable idea for those that are holding to functionally perfect scripture or General Authorities.
I wrote a blog post a few years ago with almost the exact same title. I come to a slightly different exegesis of the text though. http://loydo38.blogspot.com/2011/02/moronis-promise-was-not-about-book-of.html?m=1
Great minds think alike!
L. Thomas, I hear you. However, what I can hardly get out of my head is that many upon many upon many LDS leaders, much higher than yourself, in authority in the church, for almost two centuries now, have officially declared the Book of Mormon to be “the most correct book upon the face of the earth…” and have prophetically testified to “THE BOOK’S” truthfulness. They have never claimed, as you have, that there are any doctrinal errors in within the Book of Mormon, whatsoever. The churches articles of faith plainly state that “…the Book of Mormon is the Word of God”. Notice that that portion of the article is without ANY qualification or disclaimer but there is a qualification as pertaining to the Bible. Your interpretation is just one more example of how Mormonism is losing ground in very key and essential areas (doctrines of God) and how, now, LDS must continually attempt to re-define old terms which have always had established meanings…ie “translate”, “translation”, “true”, “doctrine”, “revelation”, “official”, etc… I believe your friend is more right than you are that “our view of the Godhead must be right, and that the Book of Mormon is true.” This has always been the view of the Prophets Seers and Revelators of the LDS Church. They have never waivered. YET, Abinadi did teach a form of Trinitarian doctrine, in the Book of Mormon. From my point of view, this really and truly is an illustration of Joseph Smith’s evolving doctrine of God. If you do the chronological math, his early ministry declares a God which is modal in nature, and that there exists ONLY ONE GOD. He later declared a God which is Tri-Theistic (Three GODS) and that there exists a myriad of True God’s, like our God. The problem with this is that these two views are completely incompatible, one with the other. You cannot view God in modalist, Trinitarian AND Tri-Theistic and still consider yourself consistent. So there is critical inconsistency between the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham but both were brought forth by the same, Joseph Smith. Bottom line, you cannot just wish away by re-defining two centuries of established doctrine and practice just because it doesn’t fit together consistently. Perhaps it doesn’t fit together because it was not God breathed but was, in fact, man made. That is indeed, another possible conclusion to be drawn from all of this.
I think believing in a “perfect” Book of Mormon makes us no better than Protestants believing in an inerrant Bible. Joseph Smith said that it was the “most” correct book, not the “only” correct book. As for leaders preaching of the book’s truthfulness, I don’t think that is necessarily incompatible with my article. If they explicitly teach that Moroni’s Promise means that you can learn that the entire book is true in every word, then it would conflict. In that case I would chalk it up to imperfect leaders. Sometimes an idea becomes so ingrained in Mormon culture that even leaders will repeat it without analyzing it critically first.
I completely concur with you that the Book of Mormon is not claimed to be “perfect”, as in every single word. But Mormons consider the Book of Mormon inerrant, in the same sense that many Christians view the Bible; In the “principles” sense and in the “Doctrinal” sense. And you know that I’m right on this. When we’re talking about the Doctrine of God, this is no insignificant, peripheral matter. This is front and center, eternally important and impacting. Joseph declared, it is the first principle of the Gospel to know the God you worship. Whatever else you may be right about, if you get GOD wrong, it doesn’t really matter what else you have right. There is no margin for error on this one, in the pages of the world’s most correct Book and Mormonism’s KEYSTONE Scripture. And you have no authority to call it otherwise, period.
And another thing…I was a convert to the church and listened to two years of missionary discussions before joining the church. I wish I had a nickel for every time a missionary said to me, “The BOOK of MORMON is true. Read ponder and pray about the truthfulness of THE BOOK. Read Moroni’s promise…” Then later, I went on a mission. I, along with thousands of other missionaries, preached all of these same exact things, countless times, every single day, to countless people. I have never once, heard any missionary give disclaimers nor qualifications to their testimonies to the Book of Mormon. “Truthfulness of the BOOK of Mormon” is, and has always been, the “keystone” of the LDS religion and THE thing upon which we have exhorted every investigator to hinge their decision to join the church. Your new fangled observations fly in the face of all that the LDS church practices. Just a bit difficult to swallow this enormous pill. Sorry…
I have seen this argument a number of times and am still not convinced. I see Moroni as clearly referring to the record that he is about to “seal up” — the entire Book of Mormon record. I don’t believe that your conclusion can be substantiated by a close reading of the text. To me, this type of argument is simply a vehicle for being able to assert that not everything we read in the book is true. I highly doubt that this is what Nephi meant to infer in 1 Nephi 19:6. If we look at another declaration of this sentiment, it is hard to come to the same conclusion that you have here. Mormon 8:17 states:
“And if there be faults they be the faults of a man. But behold, we know no fault; nevertheless God knoweth all things; therefore, he that condemneth, let him be aware lest he shall be in danger of hell fire” (cf. Mormon 9:31).
I agree with you completely that the main message of the Book of Mormon is the invitation to come unto Christ. You are certainly correct about that. But in your analysis of what Moroni is saying here, you fail to consider what he is referring to in verse 2.
“And I seal up these records, after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you.”
So, in verse 2 he is clearly speaking about the record that he has been writing, which is written upon the plates that his father prepared. He is talking about the record on Gold Plates that he would seal up and bury in the ground. He foresees that this record will eventually go forth to the Lamanites. He wants them to read the record and gives them some final exhortations as a conclusion to the record that he is now finishing.
In verse 3, he states:
“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things (the record that he is now ready to seal up), if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them …”
He is still talking in this verse about the record that he is finishing (“these things”), and he wants the Lamanites to know how they can know that this record is true and promises them that they can receive this knowledge by praying about it (v. 4). This is the first of the “few words by exhortation” that he gives in this chapter.
The petition for future readers to pray about the record is the first of the exhortations that he plans to give as a conclusion to the book. He has promised that they can know the truth of it through the Holy Ghost. He then goes on to elaborate on how the Holy Ghost works — i.e., the gifts of the Spirit, faith, etc. His initial promise regarding the answer of prayer by the Holy Ghost naturally flows into a discussion of the gifts of the Spirit more generally.
I see no reason to conclude that his little elaboration on how the Holy Ghost works with mankind is what he wanted readers to pray about. This type of “aside” happens often with Mormon and Moroni.
In verse 30, we see another exhortation — to come unto Christ — which is separate (although surely related) petition than the one in verse 3. The exhortation to come unto Christ is his final invitation as he concludes his writings. However, this does not take away from the fact that his first invitation was for the readers of the record (he is thinking of the Lamanites especially) to pray about the things they have received.
We should remember that Mormon and Moroni knew that this book was not going to be read by anyone of their generation. They knew that it was going to be sealed up and delivered to future readers. Because of this understanding, we often see them speaking directly to the future generation, expecting that they would have the record as a whole (as Mormon and Moroni prepared it). We see both Mormon and Moroni making a number of “conclusions” to the record with exhortations regarding it. See Mormon 3:17-22; 5:9-24; 7:1-10; 8:1,4-5,14-41; 9:30-37; Ether 5:1-5; 8:23-26; Moroni 1:4. This is just from Mormon and Moroni — I am not including the words of Nephi and Jesus and others who made similar statements regarding the Book of Mormon record coming forth.
I’ll share here one example from the above. Mormon 5 speaks to the future recipients of the Book of Mormon record:
12 Now these things are written unto the remnant of the house of Jacob; and they are written after this manner, because it is known of God that wickedness will not bring them forth unto them; and they are to be hid up unto the Lord that they may come forth in his own due time.
13 And this is the commandment which I have received; and behold, they shall come forth according to the commandment of the Lord, when he shall see fit, in his wisdom.
14 And behold, they shall go unto the unbelieving of the Jews; and for this intent shall they go—that they may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that the Father may bring about, through his most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose, in restoring the Jews, or all the house of Israel, to the land of their inheritance, which the Lord their God hath given them, unto the fulfilling of his covenant;
Mormon’s conception of the purpose of his record is for all to be persuaded to come unto Christ. He sees the entirety of the record as serving this mission. Moroni likewise understands this purpose of the record. We should remember to take into consideration the likelihood that Mormon and Moroni always have this whole record that they are preparing on their minds.
So in Moroni 10, after all the little tidbits that Moroni has found time and space to add, he concludes the record with some final exhortations, as was done in many of the passages I cited above, when Mormon or Moroni apparently felt that they were going to have to end the record. Here, the first of these final exhortations is for future generations who have received the record (“these things”) to pray to know if it is true.
Your argument is well reasoned. There are times when Moroni makes reference to the record as a whole, but I think the counter to your argument is within your comment: Moroni wants people to believe in “the record” only as far as it it makes them believe in its purpose.
Excellent discussion! However, there’s another piece to this puzzle that I think merits some consideration as well: Specifically, the text variants between the original 1830 Book of Mormon manuscripts and the final published version.
For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Skousen’s work on the text variants between the extent original BoM manuscripts and the published 1830 BoM please consider this:
“Over the past twenty-one years, editor Royal Skousen has pored over Joseph Smith’s original manuscripts and identified more than 2,000 textual errors in the 1830 edition. Although most of these discrepancies stem from inadvertent errors in copying and typesetting the text, the Yale edition contains about 600 corrections that have never appeared in any standard edition of the Book of Mormon, and about 250 of them affect the text’s meaning.”
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Mormon-Earliest-Text/dp/0300142188/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269119669&sr=8-1
In other words, the Book of Mormon has EXACTLY the same kind of manuscript text variants that source Biblical manuscripts do – the same variants that Mormons point to regarding the so-called “compromised” Bible. AND proportionally there are MORE of them relative to the size and scope of the manuscript record.
Yet somehow Joseph Smith said, “I told the Brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth” (History of the Church v4, p.461; also Teachings of The Prophet Joseph Smith, p.194) while the concerning the Bible he said, “many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled ”
(History of the Church, v. 1, p.245)
Thoughts?
Great comment. Given the known errors in the BoM as addressed the introduction, I think one must interpret JS’s statement as regarding the content/teachings of the book and the gospel contained therein rather than assuming that the book is without errors.
My take on this? It doesn’t matter what Moroni was specifically asking you to pray about.
“…if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”
As long as we pray sincerely with faith, through the Holy Ghost, we can know the truth of ALL THINGS. Anything that is true can be confirmed to us through this process.
Is the Book of Mormon true? Absolutely. Is Jesus the Christ? Absolutely. Is Thomas S Monson God’s prophet today? Yes.
On to a different point–Abinadi does not teach the trinity. The trinity is that Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are all the same: One being, with one soul. What Abinadi taught was that Christ is the Son and the Father(NOT meaning Heavenly Father). He is the father in the sense that he is our Savior, and as such, we can become his children. He is the Father in the sense that He created the world. And He is the father because He was the literal son of Heavenly Father. That is what Abinadi taught.
Another concept sometimes confused with the idea of the trinity are the several scriptures that state that Christ and Heavenly Father are one. This means one in heart and purpose. We can also be one with Christ, just as He is one with the Father. (3 Ne 19:29)
It still matters what Moroni was referring to. The question given in this article is whether we should pray about a book or whether we should pray about individual teachings. My argument is that does little good to pray about a whole book or collection of books.
The Church works hard to re-interpret Abinadi’s words to make them fit. I think a more plain reading points to something other than the current Mormon view of the Godhead. There are other blogs, articles, and books on the subject so I won’t spend too much time on the various arguments. Wikipedia has a short summary of evolution of thought within Mormonism (and other Latter-day Saint groups) about God: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Mormonism
Whether or not that is what Moroni is referring to, yes, it is absolutely vital to our testimony to know that the Book of Mormon, as a book, is true. What it means to know that the book itself is true is threefold:
1. Are the events in the book accurate? Did Nephi and his family really travel from Jerusalem to the Americas? Did Amalickiah really become king of the Lamanites through cunning and trickery and then wage a many years long war on the Nephites? Did these people really live and is this really their history?
2. Was the writing and abridging of this record directed by God? Were the men that wrote these book prophets and inspired of God? Was Mormon led be the Spirit as he abridged the records? Are the prophecies and the principles in the book true and from God?
3. Did the book come from where Joseph Smith claimed it came from? Did he really see Heavenly Father and Jesus in the Sacred Grove? Was Joseph led to the plates by God? Did the angel Moroni really visit him? Did he translate the plates through the gift and power of God as he claimed?
All of these things are things we have to learn through the Spirit and accept on faith, as none of them can be empirically proved. It is also important to study the book, and gain testimonies of each principle taught in the book. But it is definitely important to know that the book itself is true.
Honest question here for any that can answer, or any that has experienced this. So what is a person supposed to do if they have followed through with Moroni’s promise, in earnest and felt no confirmation? Or, in fact felt something was off or wrong? What about if they have done this more than a dozen times throughout their life with the same result?
I think you can find many on the internet who say they have never felt the confirmation. Many, but not all, are ex-Mormons or people who accepted the challenge but didn’t convert.
Here is a story about David O. McKay praying for a witness (though not of the Book of Mormon):
President David O. McKay was the ninth President of the Church. In his boyhood he desired to know, as Joseph Smith had known, of the reality of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. One day while herding cattle in the foothills near his home, he sought a testimony through prayer. He said:
“I dismounted, threw my reins over my horse’s head, and there under a serviceberry bush I prayed that God would declare to me the truth of his revelation to Joseph Smith” (New Era, Jan. 1972, p. 56).
He prayed fervently and sincerely with as much faith as he could find within him. When he finished his prayer, he waited for an answer. Nothing seemed to happen. Disappointed, he rode slowly on, saying to himself at the time, “No spiritual manifestation has come to me. If I am true to myself, I must say I am just the same ‘old boy’ that I was before I prayed” (ibid.).
A direct answer to this prayer was many years in coming. While serving a mission in Scotland, Elder McKay received a powerful spiritual manifestation. He later commented, “Never before had I experienced such an emotion. … It was a manifestation for which as a doubting youth I had secretly prayed most earnestly on hillside and in meadow. It was an assurance to me that sincere prayer is answered ‘sometime, somewhere.’” (Francis M. Gibbons, David O. McKay, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1986, p. 50).
Of course this begs the question just how long someone needs to wait until they should expect the Holy Ghost to speak to them.
Maybe someone else can suggest some other blog articles on this topic. I can’t think of any off the top of my head.
Sorry, I meant to say in the second to last sentence of the second to last paragraph that Jesus is the SON because he is the literal son of Heavenly Father.
L Thomas I believe Moroni was directing the reader to the fact that he wanted one to find precepts,events and persons to be “true”.While portions of the script are taken as spiritually correct the Book of Mormon has drawbacks.Lick of historical evidence and evidence this people existed.I think the writings are intended to support current Lds practice but are doing only a fair job at that.as a key element of this faith it is a weak attempt.
Do you remember in Indiana Jones, when he said “This class is about facts. If you want to learn about truth, philosophy is down the hall” ?
So, in my mind the book can be true, without being factual. Nephi doesn’t even have to be a real person. The truth taught in the Book of Nephi that :
1 Nephi 3:7
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
Is a TRUE principal, whether or not it is a matter of historical fact that there was an actual person named Nephi is not a concern. I never prayed to find out if the Book is factual.
Kevin, you said, “…in my mind the book can be true, without being factual. Nephi doesn’t even have to be a real person. The truth taught in the Book of Nephi that…
…Is a TRUE principal, whether or not it is a matter of historical fact that there was an actual person named Nephi is not a concern. I never prayed to find out if the Book is factual.”
That all just might have been plausible IF every single living Prophet of the LDS church has declared to be nothing less than a real, bonified, historical, literal and factual document of a real literal people who existed in history. NONE of them, not one of them, has ever said anything else. So your position while convenient, does not hold to the scrutiny of what your church’s highest authorities have, officially, declared and testified to the world. Your position flies in the face of almost two centuries of doctrine and practice in Mormonism. For example, if you made your position known, plainly, in a temple recommend interview, that would be grounds for not renewing/receiving your recommend.
In my mind, it is too late for Mormonism to back-pedal this doctrine and practice. The Book of Mormon is THE KEYSTONE of the whole religion; Not just for the Book’s principles but also it’s PROPHETIC accuracy in history. To Joseph, via the Book of Mormon, the PROPHET was revealing a new, prophetic discovery, which he believed would vindicate his prophetic mantel and calling, as time ensued. He postured that time would prove that he, Prophetically knew, by the gift and power of God, something that was theretofore hid from the world and that would prove he was a real Prophet because there would have been no way for him to know such things, the 19th century. He believed and taught that in time, his Books would confound future archeologists, linguists, Geneticists, Scientists, etc, as they marvel at how utterly impossible it would have been for Joseph Smith to have ever learned such unknowable things back in his time, except by the gift and power of God. But no, time has only continued to pile evidence against Joseph Smith and his Book of Mormon and his religion. That he members are beginning to redefine Joseph’s calling, intentions, declarations, direction, etc is further evidence of the downfall of Joseph’s truth claims. There is where I stand.
I have read moroni 10:4-5 and to me i get a differant interpretation of moroni 10:4-5. I see moroni 10:4-5 in harmony with james 1:5-6 and matthew 7:7:8.and john 16:13. I see that the holy ghost will reveal to us truth of anything we ask in doctrine that pertains to the doctrine of jesus christ.if we have faith with real intent wanting to know if something is true we can know if its true or not by the holy ghost.we must rightly divide the word of truth and search the scriptures and test all things in,1 thess.5:13 and try the spirits to see if it is of God 1 john 4:1
The holy spirit of God will guide us all into truth john 16:3. The holy spirit will not reveal us something that is contrary to the word of God that God has already revealed in the word of God. The trinitarian doctrine is supported in those verses in the book.of mormon. I interpret those verses in the book of mormon of the condensencion of God coming down to earth as the incarnation of christ coming to earth.as God.i do believe that jesus is fully God in nature in diety and divinity. Many mormons misunderstand the trinity of the triune God that is believed scripturally by post nicea christians. When trinitarians say that jesus is God they dont mean he is God the father. Jesus christ being God means jesus nature of diety and divinity is the same nature as God the father
Jesus is fully God in diety and divinity.trinitarians do not deny the that the Godhead of the truine God consists of three distinct persons.