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8th Article Of Faith

Some will probably consider this the most controversial of the Articles of Faith. I have no problem with that.

I do believe in the Bible, as the Word of God. I also believe the Bible, and what it teaches. I know enough of the history of the Bible to know that many of the writings of the Apostles were destroyed, hidden, mangled, and just plain ignored in the years before the canon was agreed upon.

There are also internal contradictions, misrepresentations, and mistranslations that have occurred over the years. Most of all, I see that some traditions have grown up around some doctrines, that cause some severe misunderstandings and controversies within Christianity, based on ambiguous verses within the Bible.

I believe, and have a very strong testimony, that the Book of Mormon is a true book of scripture. I have received many confirmations from the Holy Ghost of the principles, doctrines, and philosophies that are contained within it. I have had the same confirmations from the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price (the latter two are other books of scripture).

More than anything, I find that the Book of Mormon trains me to recognize the actions of the Holy Ghost so that I can recognize it at other times. The Book of Mormon also has direct examples of true doctrine overcoming false doctrine. In fact, it has clear and simple arguments that can be applied to many of the recognizable false doctrines of today.

This article of faith, more than anything, proclaims our belief that the canon of scripture isn't closed.

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I agree with your post completely, Nighthawk. While I believe that the Bible is a series of events that actually occured, I am not always sure about how it was translated. Because it has been translated so many times from so many different languages, I think that we may have been misled from the translations.

I also believe that portions of the Bible have been lost or just plain changed to suit the church's position since its inception. I also believe that the Book of Mormon is a true book of scripture. You don't have a half-dozen languages translating the BOM and handing you something that might be as reliable as a child's game of telephone. --Don't get me wrong, I have found a lot of scripture in the Bible to be one-hundred percent accurate with the teachings of the BOM. I just don't accept it as a whole.

Please accept my apologies if anything I have said is offending in any way. There was no malicious intent in any way.

8th Article Of Faith Studies Doctrine Mormon

You are right, Nighthawk, and I am one of those. I think I've sufficient expressed my skepticism in other discussions, so won't get into more details here. I will say that my faith has led me to believe that the Bible is sufficient in giving me the teachings of God and of our savior Jesus Christ. The argument of translation can be applied to any other book, in my opinion.

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Does this mean that you believe that the book of Mormon is without flaw? I understand why you don't count the Bible perfect, but from my reading, the Book of Mormon is not exactly perfect either. So to keep it in context, is it like the bible in that there are flaws and inconsistencies created by man, or is it above all that?

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Well, some people may think that the Book of Mormon is "without flaw". However, there really is no claim of that. What the claim IS is that the Book of Mormon is "the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." (This quote is recorded from an address that Joseph Smith made in 1841.)

We recognize that there may be errors in it. In fact, we know that there were typographical and spelling errors in the first edition. What is best about this is that we DO have the 1st edition, and many (if not all) of the original manuscripts. However, the introduction to the Book of Mormon says: "And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ."

As I have said before, I know that the Book of Mormon is true (as I do the Bible), through a witness from the Holy Ghost.

8th Article Of Faith

But if you thought God had more to say, wouldn't you be a bit curious about what it was? To me, it doesn't make sense that the Bible would be all there is from God, who knows all things.