mormons – Page 3 – What Do Mormons Believe?

The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST)

Q. Why does the LDS use the KJV of the Bible and not the Inspired Version that Joseph Smith translated himself? I am a member of a Baptist church now but I grew up and was in the RLDS. I still have my three-in-one and and I find that the inspired version speaks to me more and I get more out of it than any other translation there is. I eagerly await your reply. Oh and although I am a Baptist now, I do not agree with people claiming Mormons and other LDS-based churches are not Christians and I respect what your church as done over the years. Keep up the good work; I know you are winning souls for Jesus. -Ivan

A. Thank you for your kind words, Ivan. I’m glad you are reading from the Inspired Version. I agree that it’s a tremendous resource for Bible study and worship and I pray you will continue to study it.

For the rest of our readers, let me explain a few things about your question before I get to the answer:

RLDS is an acronym for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now known as the Community of Christ, an off-shoot religion based on the one Joseph Smith founded in 1830. When the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. was martyred in 1844, there was some confusion among the latter-day saints who should rise to lead them as the next prophet and president of the Church. A majority recognized the prophetic mantle had fallen upon Brigham Young and followed him west to the Utah desert. Some believed that eleven-year-old Joseph Smith III was supposed to succeed his father; this group remained in Illinois and eventually coalesced into the RLDS Church in 1860.

The Inspired Version of the Bible is also known as the Joseph Smith Translation (JST). It is an English-language translation of the Holy Bible based upon the King James Version (KJV). More details to follow.

A Three-in-One is a printing of the RLDS scriptures, including the Inspired Version of the Bible (JST), the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. It is similar to an LDS Quad, except we have four books (including the Pearl of Great Price), our Doctrine & Covenants is a bit different, and our Bible is KJV instead of JST. This is what prompted Ivan’s question (why don’t Mormons use JST?)

The Joseph Smith Translation

When Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he learned that the Bible was incomplete. An angel taught the Book of Mormon prophet-king Nephi that, “when [the Bible] proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, [but corrupt groups] have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away” (1 Nephi 13:24,26). In other words, the Bible lost some of its original teachings over the centuries and it needed to be corrected.

Fortunately, God’s work cannot be thwarted. Jesus taught, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). After Joseph had completed his translation of the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God, the Lord instructed him to do a similar work on the Holy Bible, but instead of being a translation from one language to another, it would be a translation from corruption to purity by the gift and power of God. In many instances, the original writings of the ancients were restored. Some of the changes Joseph implemented were meant to give verses a “plainer” meaning (clarifying archaic phrases or harmonizing doctrines), and a majority were simply grammatical improvements.

One of the most significant changes was made to Genesis. Instead of starting with “In the beginning…”, the JST opens with an encounter Moses had with God on Mount Sinai. Moses asks the Lord about the earth and why it was created. The Lord shows Moses a vision of the seven days of creation, and of Adam and Eve, etc. At this point, it jumps into the familiar KJV story, and it also includes more details on various other things, including the mysterious character named Enoch, who “walked with God” (Genesis 5:24). This section of the JST is included in the Pearl of Great Price and is known as the Book of Moses. You can (and should!) read the Book of Moses. It gives wonderful insights into the fall of Adam and Eve, knowledge of the plan of redemption in ancient times, the purpose of life and much more.

There are many other JST changes throughout the length of the Bible. Most of the doctrinally-relevant ones can be found in the LDS edition of the Bible (in the footnotes, or in an appendix for lengthier passages). The full text is also available online at this link.

How Do Mormons Use the JST?

The Joseph Smith translation is not the official Bible of the LDS Church; the King James Version is. Among the reasons for this are the following:

It was never formally published by Joseph Smith. Although he clearly worked his way through the entire Bible by 1833, he was still making minor edits at the time he was killed in 1844, and it is unclear in some cases whether the notes he left in his margins and on his manuscripts were private thoughts or revealed truths.
At Joseph’s death, the manuscripts for the JST were in the possession of his widow, Emma. As Brigham Young was preparing to move the latter-day saints west, he requested that she provide them to him but he was denied (Emma had some animosity toward Brigham that led her to stay in Illinois; she became part of the RLDS Church when it was formed).
When the RLDS Church began publishing the Inspired Version, LDS Church leaders in Utah were suspicious that the RLDS publishers may have made some illegitimate changes. Decades later, they finally allowed the Utah Mormons to examine the original manuscripts and their fears were allayed.
For many years the RLDS Church maintained the copyright.

Even though the KJV is the LDS official Bible, the Book of Moses and the JST of Matthew 24 are officially canonized in the Pearl of Great Price. And, like I mentioned above, we have footnotes (I highlighted all of mine with green colored pencil) and an appendix full of JST notes as valuable resources to study. So, Ivan, we do believe in and study the Inspired Version.

The JST is a tremendous blessing for anyone seeking a better understanding of Bible teachings; I encourage you to use it often in your Bible study.

The Mormon Secrecy Code

Question from the box: “I have a mormon friend and he doesnt like to talk about what goes on when he goes to church. Is there a secrecy code or something? Once you are a mormon can you “un-become” a mormon??”

We try to practice the teaching of Christ when he said “hold up your light that it may shine unto the world… I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me.” Most faithful members of our church are more than willing to share their beliefs with any soul who shows even a little interest. Try letting your friend know that you really are curious, and ask specific questions. Hopefully he’ll open up.

We certainly have no secrecy code. That being said, if an experience is very sacred (e.g. temple worship), it “must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit” (D&C 63:64).

Members can be removed from the church in one of two ways. They can request that their names be removed, or they can be ex-communicated. The latter is usually due to willful disobedience of major commandments.

Is the LDS Church just another Christian Church

The following is my own opinion, but it is what one Mormon believes, so I think it can still be posted on this website.

We recently got a nice comment from a woman who used to be a member of our Church, but has since becoming involved in another, more mainstream Christian Church. She wrote about her “new eyes and strong desire to help others come unto Christ [the same way that she has].” It was really nice to read, actually. And I’m grateful that she commented because it gave me a chance to think about what she is advocating. As a member of a church that proclaims to be the “only true and living church on the face of the earth” (D&C 1:30) it is sometimes hard to wrap my head around the fact that someone could leave this “fully true” church for a “partly true” church. (Don’t get all offended, I’ll explain my labels).

There are at least two parts to our church: the human part and the inspired part. The human part is honestly just like any other Christian Church. There are fellowship meetings, get-togethers, sermons by people who have some pet virtue they want to beat into the parishioners heads. Sometimes the church is amazing in this realm. Sometimes people reach out to new people and bring them into their warm circle of friends and fellowship. Sometimes seven different people come up to you during the first 14 minutes of church when you are visiting just to introduce themselves (thank you, Abilene Texas 3rd ward! You guys were awesome!). Sometimes there are incredible choral programs for Christmas and Easter. Sometimes someone’s sermon changes your life for good. Sometimes you find your closest friends through the Home or Visiting Teaching programs.

And sometimes, honestly, the human parts stink. People are flawed. And they bring those flaws to the church–especially in the LDS Church where everything is run by the members–a lay clergy, volunteers in every single role from the tiniest nursery tots all the way to the High Priests Group nodding off in the back row. So that means that every person’s flaws and weaknesses are somehow incorporated into the functioning Church body (as well as their good qualities, but that observation belongs in the paragraph above). And so, for people like the woman I mentioned above, visiting a warm and welcoming congregation, perhaps with a social following the service and all sorts of ancillary programs to sign up for, may seem like a shocking difference (especially if her LDS ward was the opposite of the Abilene Texas 3rd Ward). And it might seem like that church is more true. More full and lively. And it probably is more full and lively. As far as fellowship and sociality goes, the Mormons don’t claim to have a monopoly. Other churches are simply outstanding at uplifting and professional sermons, providing like-minded friends, urging people to lead honest and moral lives. I don’t think any Mormon would argue otherwise; and if the human part of our church were the only part, then the answer to my post title is Yes. It is just another Christian Church.

But there is another part to the church: the inspired part. And this is the part that separates it from the “partly true churches” that have great human components. God the Father and Jesus Christ really did restore the Church of Jesus Christ back to the earth through Prophets. The Prophet really does speak to deity. That’s an important distinction. The organization of the church below them with Apostles, Seventies, Elders and so on is truly inspired. It works on a small scale and it works globally. I don’t think that Joseph Smith could have come up with that one on his own. The temples are also inspired. Probably the most important element of the inspired part–that which makes it the true church–is the performance of saving ordinances: Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, the Sacrament, Temple Endowment, Temple Sealing. These things are HUGE. It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t been to an LDS temple why they are so important, but it’s like having the map back to heaven, printed in your own language. The temple is the point of having the Church back on the earth at all. This is what makes the LDS Church the “only true and living church on the face of the earth.”

However, sometimes even members of the LDS Church miss this. They see only the human parts and if they aren’t comparable to the other Christian Churches around their neighborhood then it only makes sense to switch. Being a member of the LDS church matters if those saving ordinances like baptism and temple ordinances are important to you. They are important to me. They give me security and increase my faith in Christ. I know that He will do what He has promised to do because I’ve covenanted with Him to follow Him and He is always true to His covenants. Those ordinances mean that I have a constant companion all the time: the Holy Ghost. He leads me, comforts me and corrects me. My temple marriage means the world to me because my little family means the world to me: if my road cycling husband were killed in an accident, I have God’s promise that we will be together again in the next life. And I trust that. I won’t even start to imagine losing one of my cherubic children because its too painful to contemplate, but we will be together for eternity too. And when I die, because of what I have learned in the temple and covenanted to do, I have full confidence that I’ll be privileged to meet my Savior. That is so important to me.

Way more important than how successful the ward party was and if today’s sermon wasn’t given as tactfully as I would have liked it. But that is my preference. Everyone is entitled to their own priorities and I won’t condemn you for yours if you don’t condemn me for mine.

Question Box: Does Sin Cause Disease?

What do Mormons believe about illness and causes of illness?

Simply put, Mormons seek to know, understand and believe anything that is true. We are encouraged to seek truth from all good sources. By-and-large, the origin of disease is not something specifically addressed by doctrine revealed through the priesthood. That leaves it up to individual members to decide what they believe personally, with the injunction to “seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118)

Mormons tend to accept well-established scientific truths, including truths about pathogens, genetics, nutrient deficiencies and other well-established causes of disease. Throughout recorded history, a common belief has been that disease is a punishment for sin. This idea isn’t entirely refuted by revealed doctrine, but it isn’t completely accepted either. Because many of the natural consequences of sin lead to poor health or disease, it can be said that disease is a punishment for certain sins. For example, illegitimate sex is against the the teachings of Jesus Christ and His servants. Such behavior can lead to sexually transmitted diseases that one would avoid by righteous living. In this sense you can say somebody is “punished” for illicit sexual behavior when they contract genital herpes. However, most Mormons would simply say that the disease was a natural consequence of sin, and not that the sin “caused” the disease.

Question Box: Do Mormons Hunt

Q: Do Mormons hunt?

Yes, but there is nothing in Mormon belief that says a person has to hunt, or should not hunt.

My dad’s side of the family hunted to sustain themselves and if they got a nice buck deer that was a bonus. And I think that philosophy is in line with what has been taught by God. Speaking to Noah, He said “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things” (Genesis 9:3). Personally, I don’t see any difference between hunting and killing a deer to feed my family and buying hamburger at the store. Animals died either way and to me there is something a little more noble about a deer giving its life to sustain me.

However, I think that there is something wrong with hunting simply to kill. God taught this concept to Joseph Smith when he said, “wo be unto man that sheddeth blood of that wasteth flesh and hath no need” (D&C 49:21).

I’ll be honest, for me hunting is a little bit of an adrenaline rush. There is nothing quite like listening to a big bull elk bugling on a cool fall morning. But, on a more personal level hunting has taught me a lot about life. I learned at a very early age that life is precious and can be gone in an instant. I saw that food didn’t just come from a store and that it was a precious commodity. I learned how to take care of the animal–cleaning, cutting it up, and getting it ready for storage. I was taught never to kill more than I could eat. I was taught to be an excellent shot with my rifle so that the animals die quickly and not suffer. In addition I got to spend a lot of quality time with my dad and observe him in situations other than work and home. He taught me how to be a man in the mountains and I am grateful for that.

Thanks for asking about hunting, I hope that answers your question.