LDS Scriptures
The Mormon Church uses four different
books of scripture. They believe in the Bible as other Christians do. But they
also accept the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great
Price as scripture.
Mormons use the
King James Version of the Bible. The 8th Article of Faith states,
"We believe the Bible to the word of God as far as it is translated
correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God."1
Mormons accept the Bible as
being true words from God to His prophets and apostles and a record of Jesus
Christ's life and ministry. They do recognize that some plain and precious
truths from the Bible have been lost through numerous translations.
The Book of
Mormon is a record of the ancient inhabitants of the American continents and of
Christ's visit to the people there after His resurrection. The record was
written by various prophets starting at 600 BC until 400 years after Christ's
death. One of the last prophets, Mormon, abridged the records, writing down the
most precious truths on gold plates. These are the gold plates that Joseph
Smith received from the angel
Moroni.
Joseph Smith translated the record on the gold plates
using the power of God. During the translation process Joseph Smith sat with
the plates and verbally gave the translation to a scribe, primarily Oliver Cowdery, although the prophet's wife Emma and a few others
acted as scribes for a short time.
The Book of
Mormon was written "to show unto the remnant of the House of
Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they
may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever— And
also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the
Eternal God manifesting Himself to all nations."2
The Doctrine and
Covenants is mainly a compilation of revelations received by the
Prophet Joseph Smith during the early days of the Church. A few revelations
concerning important points of doctrine have been added since.
The Doctrine and
Covenants outlines the organization of the Church and essential covenants that
God has made with His people. It describes the plan of salvation and provides
information on the importance of temple ordinances. The
Doctrine and Covenants also contains the two official declarations of the
Church. The first being when the practice of polygamy was discontinued and the
second the revelation that all worthy male members of the Church should receive
the Melchizedek
Priesthood.
The Pearl of
Great Price contains three main parts: The Book of Moses, The Book of
Abraham, and Joseph Smith History. "The Book of Moses is an extract of
several chapters from Genesis… which restores and clarifies vital points of
history and doctrine missing from the Bible." 3 It discusses
the events that happened before the earth was created, the creation of the
earth, the story of Adam and Eve, and the prophet Enoch.
The Book of
Abraham is a translation of papyri that Joseph Smith obtained in 1835. It is a
record that includes the life of Abraham from the Old Testament and a
description of the creation of the world.
Joseph Smith
History describes the events in Joseph Smith's life, including his vision of
God the Father and Jesus Christ that led up to the organization of the Mormon
Church.
(1) Articles of Faith 1:8
(2) Book of Mormon. Title
page.
(3) Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol. 1, Book
of Moses