The Holy Bible-part but not all of Mormon canon.
July 20, 2007 by DH
Filed under LDS Beliefs
Most people generally react with disbelief or surprise when they find out that Mormons believe in more than just the Bible when it comes to canonical books. It is usually claimed that the Bible is all that God revealed and there shouldn’t be and doesn’t need to be more scripture. Indeed Mormons believe that God has, can and will reveal things to people across the Earth and thus believe in more than just the Bible. The Book of Mormon even touches on this vein as follows:
“Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.” 2 Nephi 29: 6, 10-11.
In addition to the King James Version of the Bible; The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price are recognized as canon in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What follows is a brief description of each and the importance they play in the LDS Church.
The Book of Mormon is a record of ancient prophets that lived on the American continent from 600 BC to 400 AD. (This time period would correlate to the period of the book of Isaiah to after the Apostles deaths in the Bible) The teachings and happenings of their civilizations were recorded and passed down upon plates of gold to the last prophet named Moroni. Teachings are similar to those of the Bible with discourses on faith, repentance, baptism, and resurrection. Most importantly The Book of Mormon contains a visit from the Savior which records his teachings to the people on the American continent after his death and subsequent resurrection in Jerusalem. Herein lays the principle purpose of The Book of Mormon, to testify that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. As one of the two main civilizations came to an end because of warfare, Moroni buried the plates in the ground with the purpose that they would be brought forth in a future day to aid the Bible in testifying of Christ. The Book of Mormon in no way replaces or negates the Bible but aids and clarifies the teachings found therein with revelations from the same God of the Bible but through different prophets in a different part of the world. This book is why the Church and its members are called the Mormon Church or Mormons. (It was actually originally a derogatory term directed towards the early members.) This book is extremely important as it was translated by Joseph Smith by the power of God. Thus, if true, is the fruit whereby one may judge if Joseph was a true or false prophet and if this is truly The Church of Jesus Christ.
The Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of revelations received primarily through the Prophet Joseph Smith as he was called as a Prophet and had the great task of organizing and restoring The Church which had been lost during the preceding apostasy. These revelations expound on the principles of the gospel but mainly focus on the organization and temporal matters of the church. Readers generally remark how modern and applicable are the teachings found in the Doctrine and Covenants as they were received during and for this generation.
The Pearl of Great Price consists of two parts. The first part is a translation by Joseph Smith of the Book of Moses from the Bible. By the inspiration of God Joseph restored and corrected much to Moses’ record which had previously been lost and altered from the original Bible. The second part is a record of some of the writings of the Biblical prophet Abraham as they came to Joseph in Kirtland, Ohio in the form of ancient papyri which Joseph translated by the power of God. The POGP has a wealth of information on the creation, Adam and Eve and early events of the Bible.
All of these canonical records give members of the LDS Church an abundance of scripture from which to study and clarify the sometimes confusing record that exists in the Bible today. None of the aforementioned records are set above the other but all are valued as scripture from God and to be of great worth to all who will willingly read them.
