What is the Book of Mormons?

What exactly is the book of Mormons or Mormans? Do Mormons believe the same things that the King James bible teaches?

The book of mormon is an 'add on' to the bible. In short it goes like this..
... Joseph Smith (a known criminal and con man) claims he was visited by two angels. They gave him two golden tablets which he translated into the book of mormon. Now the catch is, first, as i stated, Smith was a notorious con man. Second, he gave accounts of this 'angel story' on numerous occasions. Never did any two stories match. Details changed with each story. Location, time of day, etc.. No one else saw these golden tablets, so his story can't be verified.

Mormons have different beliefs than Christians. A few things are key, such as Jesus and Lucifer being brothers. That upon death, a good mormon will spend eternity as a god over his own planet, as he and his wife perpetually populate the planet they're given. They teach that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had children. That Jesus went to what came to eventually be the USA and preached to the Native Americans. There's more, but its been years since i've looked into the stuff. Maybe others will have more details.

So, I am Mormon. I tried to stay away from this post because we don't want attention drawn to us for the fear of making our faith look bad, but I also can't help defend our faith.
The Book of Mormon(bofm), was translated by Joseph Smith in the 1800's, he was not a con man. When he was about 14 he was struggling with which religion to join so he prayed about it, and we believe that our Father in Heaven told him to join none and to wait till the right time came(at this time he wasn't sure what that really meant). He was just a simple man, religious, but simple for that time period. Then he was told to translate(I'm not going into detail) the gold plates(book of mormon) from an ancient language(that he had never heard of), which alone is amazing because with his faith he was able to translate a language that was almost non-exsistant at that time and place to him. With everything he went through, it would have just been easier to just ignore it all and live his life, but he chose to be a servant for the Lord.
It didn't happen over night, there was a lot of persecution and horrible things that happened. which is why we-the mormons- had to move around so much until we found a place(Utah) that we could practice our faith and beliefs. Which the government still tried to stop us. The things the earlier members went through is amazing. Look up the martin willie handcart company and read some of their experiences of what they went through. It's amazing to have faith like that in something so new and unknown.

We believe in the King James version of the bible. They- the bible and book of mormon testify of each other, kind of like a sequel if you want to put it that way. I LOVE the bible. We spend each year studying differents books. For one year we will study the old testament, another the new testament, the next year we will study the book of mormon, etc.
We don't believe that Jesus was married. Or had kids.
We are christians, we believe as all christians do.
There was a time when the prophet did preach polygamy, we do not any more. Anyone who still practices polygamy does not belong to our church, they have been excommunicated because they are breaking the laws and we don't believe in that. They dissolved the whole polygamy thing back in the 1890's.
We believe in a lot of the same things other religions do. We don't have secret underwear, but we have sacred underwear. It doesn't go to our ankles or wrists, we just believe if we wear clothes where our "garments" aren't showing, then we are dressing modestly(they end above our knees and right below our shoulders). But that also protects the major organs of our bodies(there have been so many stories of people who have been in fires when their arms and faces were burned, but they had the protection from their garments that their bodies weren't burned, but also it takes faith).
Yes we have some absolutely beautiful temples for worshiping. Yes, you need a recommend to be allowed inside the building, but you can still go on the temple grounds and they usually have a visitors center that share more about our faith. I love going to that, I always learn more in the visitors centers. We don't have secret/weird things in the temple, but we do have sacred ceremonies. Like weddings. for example in a civil ceremony they say "til death" in our temple weddings we say for "time"(on earth) and "all eternity"(after death we are still married and our children are sealed to the couple being married, which is reassuring for some people who have children or a spouse who are killed or die of an illness, because in the afterlife we will be reunited).

Anyways, my only suggestion if you have questions about the LDS church or the book of mormon is to ask someone who is an actual active member of the church. If they are true members they will answer almost anything happily.
The only reason I say that is there are people who aren't members that will tell you something that isn't true but they believe they are tell you the true to keep you away from us because we are such a "horrible cult" when that couldn't be further than the truth.
Anyways, thanks for letting me share a little about us.
lds.org is also a really good website to learn about our religion

I actually just watched a documentary on mormons, i will link it here.

The Lost Book of Abraham - YouTube

The Book of Mormon is not the word of God. It is much like the Koran, though in content they are very different. But both are man's attempt to fit God into his own definition.

It does not complement the Bible. A true study of the two shows they are directly contradictory. Mormons explain these discrepancies the same way Muslims explain it; that the Bible has been translated so many times that it now has flaws. A Mormon will accept the Bible, only so far as it agrees with the Book of Mormon.

Mormon definitions are different. When they speak of God, Jesus, etc. they mean something different, so you need to look up their own definitions, and don't take for granted that they are saying what it sounds like they are saying.

All I'm saying is if you have a question pm me or a membee of our church so I
Can explain what exactly we believe in. No question is to sily. And like all religions
We have our flaws and we've learned from our mistakes

Thanks for posting this...I think I watched something about this long time ago.

Gardenbunny, I have been skimming through a summary of the book of Mormon, and some of it does seem to line up wth the bible, but could you please explain how this passage fits with the bible of the OT/ NT? From my undestanding this refers to followers of the religion who are "holy"?

20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from aeverlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.

How do you reconcile that belief with Biblical descriptions of resurrected people, specifically there being no marriage in Heaven?

It's nice that people are reassured by this false idea that you CAN take it with you, but that doesn't make it actually true or anything.

I want to respond, but I also want to have the "right" response. And since it is my work week, I will write as soon as I have more time. We believe in not bringing our religion out for the world to see and and drag through mud, so I am praying that I will have the right answer. Because I don't want anyone to think we are a weird religion. We really aren't, yeah we have the whole laws of Chasity, and no drinking alcohol(funny story behind that- back when the saints first settled Southern Utah, they grew grapes for wine for the sacrament, and it was found that members were also drinking for 'recreational use' so they stopped making wine, but I have a copy of the original recipe somewhere). But other religions teach no sex before marriage too, so what. Anyways, I want to represent my church right, so I will answer your guys questions another day, when I've had more time to really dissect them.
But here is a good website to look at for entertainment- Famous Mormons
Some of these people surprise me. Like Aaron Eckhart, seriously??? But I guess I can see it in some movies. lol
Some of them don't really act like a true practicing member should(ex- Katherine Heigl).
But you'd be surprised at some of them.

Mormons are really into missionary work, so I am surprised to hear that you think it is institutional policy to keep it something of a secret and not discuss what you believe.

It gets 'dragged through the mud' because Mormons claim to be Christians but have this whole separate book, written and translated under very suspicious circumstances, with the goal of starting a NEW religion? Most of the practices/rituals are based on those of the freemasons?

There is a reason they were run out of so many towns/cities/states. It is a cult. It being a huge cult doesn't matter and having celebrity cult members doesn't matter. Scientology also has many famous members.

I look forward to your responses, but I want you to know that if you truly have a heart for Jesus, you may want to explore your options. There is no need to add to the Bible or tack on all of those extras. It's perfect the way it is.

ok, so yes we are huge on missionary work, but we don't like bringing up what we believe in situations like Stephanie Meyer(author of Twilight) she talks about how the church inspired her to write twilight, um, we don't even believe in vampires and werewolves, I don't know many members who are a fan of hers. Mitt Romney, he doesn't flaunt is religion to win the presidential election, but people keep dragging it out and making us look horrible.

2nd, if we were a cult, I would not belong to the LDS church. To me cults are Jim Jones in Guyana. Or Waco Texas and David Koresh. Heavens Gate. And those all ended in mass deaths. And preached scary stuff. I can hardly imagine 14 million people dying just because someone said so. Our prophet so kind. Even if he did, I wouldn't follow, because I know that real religions don't preach death like that.

Christ and Satan aren't brothers in the sense of growing up together in the same household. Everyone(catholic, jew, muslim, baptist, black, white, indian, chinese, etc) are brothers and sisters. The way we believe, even my grandfather is my brother. Our Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father our the mother and father. If that makes since.

Now for the scripture quoted above, I prayed like crazy and talked with a good friend who served a mission about 22 years ago in Portugal. Her son is serving in North Dakota right now. To us it makes perfect sense-
this is the AdamGodTheory, meaning that we believe that we can become like our Heavenly father LITERALLY, its a hard concept to understand, but one of the best ways to compare it to the bible is that Peter asked Christ "what kind of men aught we to be, and Christ answered even as I am".....to us we take it as we need to be Christ like, but in ancient times, the term I AM was meant as God, so Christ referred to Himself as God in this meaning, so the deeper meaning he was getting at is we need to prepare ourselves to become like he is, A God, but like I said before it is a strange concept to others not of the LDS religion, and there is no real, Doctrine of it, What i have put here is what i have gathered from my own personal study of the Book of Mormon, and the OT/NT, it all hinges on the Book of Mormon however, if they dont believe it they wont understand it, we all have to learn precept by precept and line upon line, or our understanding will not grow.
My cousin Tiffany said this-- this means that we have the opportunity to become like God. We too can have everlasting life just like our Heavenly Father has. Other religions don't believe in having exaltation as we do. Most believe that there is just heaven and hell.
I don't want to be a god, but I want to be a daughter of my Heavenly Father who is proud of me.

For the post that was saying we believe sort of like the muslims are with the koran. And that the bible has been translated so many times. We read and we study from the King James Version, I thought that was the main bible and all the other versions came from that one in general. I guess I would have to study more on that one.

I would write more, but I've written enough for this post for now. But I do want to say, I firmly believe that God is my Father and Christ is my brother. I think of Satan as that rebellious brother that I'm not so proud of. I can honestly say that I am proud of the way I was raised and the things that I believe in, I was raised not to be judgmental or gossipy.
President Harold B. Lee said - You cannot kindle a fire in any other heart unless you have one burning in your own.
I hope people who know me can see my whole being just so involved with what I believe and love.

Anyways, if you have questions or have heard someone say something about the LDS church that sounds a little weird, feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my knowledge.
That's the main reason I joined this website so I can have a better understanding of other religions and meet and talk to others who are Christlike and love the Lord.

Because it is traditionally and historically a cult. It is run like the mob. Salt Lake City, while beautiful, is a scary place if you're not in the cult.

Then you misunderstand what a cult is.

Only the semi-meaningless parts make sense here.

We are all brothers and sisters. Yes, yes...that's basically every religion and even non-religion.

Your heavenly mother and father? Who are they?

Did someone say Jesus and Satan are brothers? I assume that's part of Mormon teaching?

Blasphemy.

So it's a belief you hold dear based on nothing but conjecture?

Don't you see how that makes Mormonism a polytheistic religion? If everyone can become a God, equal to GOD THE FATHER CREATOR AND RULER OF ALL THINGS, then there is not one god but in fact many gods. There is nothing special about him at all and what once seemed like greatness is actually rather pedestrian since it is attainable by pathetic mortal sinners. You will rule your own planet and be the god of your own world. That sounds like something a lonely teenager would make up.

This should be a massive obstacle for any Bible-believing Christian and from what you have said there isn't anything at all to support this idea! Not even in the Book of Mormon.

Ease of belief does not equal fact. You find it easy to believe because you've been conditioned.

It should all hinge on the Word of God.

Mormons believe the Bible is flawed and incomplete. Explain.

Explain why you believe, as Muslims do, that Christians are getting it wrong and a new book needed to be written. Explain it in detail.

Our everlasting life is a gift. It is not something we earn.

What role does Jesus even have in Mormonism? He taught us how to become gods of other worlds? That doesn't ring as completely insane?

You already are just through a statement of true faith...sacred underwear or not.

Other translations are not derivative of the KJV. They are separate translations based on more early manuscripts that have been discovered over time. The KJV pulled from 6 originals. Other versions pull from hundreds.

Then turn from this! Repent and be saved! The Bible is ALL YOU NEED.

He is of no relation to you whatsoever. You live in a sci fi/fantasy novel. It's very clear to me where Stephanie Meyer drew her inspiration.

Then turn from this! Repent and be saved! The Bible is ALL YOU NEED.

For now this is all I will write. We all believe in what we believe. I happen to believe in the LDS church. But I also feel the same way about other religions, the way you feel about us. I just want a higher understanding in other religions to reaffirm my faith in the LDS church.

If you only want to feel better about your choice to be a Mormon, you may want to limit yourself to Mormon websites and avoid Christian ones.

Okay so....first thing first....

IF Mormons don't believe in bringing their religion into the world, why do I constantly see on YouTube "...And I'm a Mormon" videos being put up all throughout?


And the second thing is, if you guys also follow the Bible, what happened to these verses?

Matthew 5:13-16New American Standard Bible (NASB)



Disciples and the World



13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.





That doesn't sound like hiding what you believe in....Or not bringing out your religion....

I didn't join this website to convert people to the LDS church. I work with people and have neighbors(yes, here in Utah) that aren't lds and I just want to learn more about other faiths so I can understand them more. Have more empathy, more knowledge and all that fun stuff.
I'm not trying to tell you guys that we are better or trying to convert you to Mormonism. When I responded to this thread, it was to help you understand what we believe, not convert you. If you want to believe that Joseph Smith was a con man, go for it. It's not we believe, but you have every right to it. If you want to believe we are a cult, ok. It's an over 14 million member cult from every country in the world. If you think we aren't Christians, ok, I can't stop you. We've always been taught that we are.
But whatever, that is what I like about our time today, we can worship the way be believe.
I fully believe I have a Father in Heaven that loves me and I love Him. I know Christ died for my sins. I know that our prophet is a man of God and that he fully understands our trials and tribulations that we face in our lives today.
I'm not looking for someone to tear down my faith, but I have plenty to share. I mean, I'm no missionary, I haven't studied the way they do. But I love the gospel, I love fellowshipping with like minded people, but I also like a good debate.

But you aren't sharing or debating anything. You just keep insisting you're a Christian and Mormonism is good.

If you truly believe that Mormonism is the true and correct path to God and the Book of Mormon is the legitimate Word of God, then how dare you be so flippant! When you actually know the TRUTH, you don't say things like 'believe whatever you want.'

I'm telling you right now, sister, what you're believing is a lie. Turn from it.

How do I know it's a lie? Because it is contrary to the Bible and the Bible is the truth.

Why do I insist on telling you? Because it would be a shame for you to continue living in this lie. You clearly want to have a heart for God, but have been terribly misled. Get to know Him. He will forgive all this and make you a new creation.

Now if you want to start treating your religion like it is actual and absolute truth, then go for it. But that will require debate and actually talking about what you believe. If you aren't comfortable with that, think long and hard about why.