Friday, September 19, 2014

Does the Book of Mormon Contain the "Fullness of the Everlasting Gospel?"


The Mormon Church proudly proclaims that the Book of Mormon contains the “fullness of the everlasting gospel” and is the “most correct book in the history of the world." Mormon leader W. Arid MacDonald further stated that the Book of Mormon is “the only book in the world . . . which was brought to earth by an angel from the throne of God. . . . The angel made 15 round trips to this planet from the throne of God to see that this book was properly translated and printed, so that it might be given to the world” Taking this statement at face value one would naturally expect that the Mormons’ most precious doctrines would certainly be revealed in the pages of this Book of Mormon. However, upon reading the book we find that at least 15 key doctrines which the Mormons proclaim are not mentioned at all. These omitted doctrines include: (1) pre-existence of man in the spirit world, (2) the importance of genealogies in the plan of salvation, (3) baptism for the dead, (4) celestial marriage, (5) three degrees of heaven--Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial, (6) godhood as man’s right and destiny, (7) hell being a kind of purgatory from which all will eventually be released, (8) eternal progression for man into ever higher levels of deification, (9) the Melchizedek Priesthood, (10) the Aaronic Priesthood, (11) plurality of Gods, (12) plurality of wives—although this doctrine has been officially set aside, (13) the existence of a Heavenly Mother who is the wife of God the Father, (14) God’s progression from being an ordinary mortal man to being the exalted deity he now is, (15) and the Word of Wisdom. All of these key doctrines are absent, yet together they make up the core of Mormon beliefs.

As a Christian can you image the Bible omitting such doctrines as the reality of sin, the virgin birth, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, the literal resurrection of the body, heaven, hell, and the life everlasting?

This is one of the reasons why Mormon “truth” is always in a state of flux. There is no final authority of the Book—any Book--to the Mormons. Final authority is always what the Church, through its priesthood, happens to say today.

This is discussed at length in my soon-to-be-released book Mormonism and the Bible.

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