The Book of Mormon: The Fullness of the Gospel?
Joseph Smith claimed that the Book of Mormon is the fullness of the gospel in the introduction to the BOM, and the D&C plainly says that the BOM is the fullness of the gospel in D&C 27:5 and 76:14. If the BOM contains the fullness of the gospel, then it wouldn’t lack anything in regards to the gospel, right? With that being said, why doesn’t the BOM contain doctrines that are essential to exaltation? For example, it doesn’t contain anything in regards to:
1. The premortal world
2. Eternal marriage
3. Temple marriage
4. Eternal progression into godhood
5. The three levels of heaven
6. Baptism for the dead
7. Family sealing
8. Eternal families
9. The teaching that God is a man
Furthermore, the BOM doesn’t contain other things that are unique to Mormonism:
1. A plurality of Gods
2. That Christ atoned for sins in the Garden of Gethsemane (1 Nephi 11:33)
3. Polygamy (it’s actually condemned in Jacob 2)
4. The husband calling his wife out of the grave
5. That God had to become a God
As a Mormon, can you really say that the BOM contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel if it is lacking all this necessary doctrine for exaltation? I suppose, you may say that you have prophets to give you modern day doctrine, but if these doctrines were part of the everlasting gospel wouldn’t it have been practiced and taught by people in the BOM? Can the term fullness be qualified to mean all things besides those necessary doctrines? According to the introduction to the BOM it says,
“[The BOM] is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.” Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was 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.”
Two things, 1) If the Bible also contains the fullness of the gospel, why doesn’t it contain any of the above necessary doctrines? 2) If the BOM can get you closer to God than any other book, I find it odd that it doesn’t even contain most of the doctrine that is unique to Mormonism, the only “true” Church.
This just goes to show that additional doctrine had been added after Joseph Smith wrote the BOM. It also demonstrates that the Mormon Church is built of false teachings that contradict the prophets of old in the Bible.
Have you ever read Galatians 1:8-9? It says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
1. The premortal world
2. Eternal marriage
3. Temple marriage
4. Eternal progression into godhood
5. The three levels of heaven
6. Baptism for the dead
7. Family sealing
8. Eternal families
9. The teaching that God is a man
Furthermore, the BOM doesn’t contain other things that are unique to Mormonism:
1. A plurality of Gods
2. That Christ atoned for sins in the Garden of Gethsemane (1 Nephi 11:33)
3. Polygamy (it’s actually condemned in Jacob 2)
4. The husband calling his wife out of the grave
5. That God had to become a God
As a Mormon, can you really say that the BOM contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel if it is lacking all this necessary doctrine for exaltation? I suppose, you may say that you have prophets to give you modern day doctrine, but if these doctrines were part of the everlasting gospel wouldn’t it have been practiced and taught by people in the BOM? Can the term fullness be qualified to mean all things besides those necessary doctrines? According to the introduction to the BOM it says,
“[The BOM] is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.” Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was 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.”
Two things, 1) If the Bible also contains the fullness of the gospel, why doesn’t it contain any of the above necessary doctrines? 2) If the BOM can get you closer to God than any other book, I find it odd that it doesn’t even contain most of the doctrine that is unique to Mormonism, the only “true” Church.
This just goes to show that additional doctrine had been added after Joseph Smith wrote the BOM. It also demonstrates that the Mormon Church is built of false teachings that contradict the prophets of old in the Bible.
Have you ever read Galatians 1:8-9? It says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
posted by vessey at
Monday, July 03, 2006
9 Comments:
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Thanks for responding to my post. I would agree with you if the gospel according to Mormonism was simply that Christ lived a sinless life, died for our sins, resurected on the third day, and ascended to heaven. But as you know, this isn't all of the good news, right? All of what Christ did would be meaningless if you didn't get married in the temple, were sealed to your family, and obeyed God by doing baptisms for the dead. So although all of the things that Christ did were necessary, they weren't sufficient for a person to go to the celestial kingdom. If they were, Mormons wouldn't be doing temple marriage, baptism for the dead, and trying to become gods through the principals of eternal progression.
What if I told you that you can have $100 Million, and that somebody pulled it out of their savings account just for you. Great!! The next question is, "How do I get it?" Well, unfortunately, that part of the information isn't included, sorry!!
So, Christ may have paid the necessary price, but how does one go about getting the goods? That's my point! The book of Mormon doesn't tell us how to get all the goods. It leaves you in the dark. Therefore, it does not contain the fulness of the Mormon "gospel."
You're apparently confounding "the fulness of the gospel" with "every possible concept of truth." The Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants all define the “gospel” as information regarding Jesus Christ: that He was born, lived a sinless life, died for our sins and was resurrected the third day. (cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-5, III Nephi 27:13-17 and D&C 76:40-42). Certainly there are more things about God and salvation that can be learned, but they are ancillary to the “gospel” which is simply the good news of Jesus Christ – His life, death on the cross and resurrection.
Read the foreword to the Book of Mormon where it points out that both the Bible and Book of Mormon contain the fulness of the gospel. Certainly there are doctrines that don't appear in the Book of Mormon; yet the BoM claims that additional books will make known plain and precious elements lost from the Bible.
PS Your typo of "premarital world" is funny but I think you meant premortal world - even though it is mentioned in noting that Jesus and the 12 apostles all "descend out of heaven" and come to the earth.
Vessey, you're coming from the perspective that a book is the means of salvation. The Book of Mormon isn't the means of salvation any more than the Bible is. It is, however, a witness that Jesus is the Christ. When you find the man who provided that witness to the world, then you can learn the rest of what's necessary.
Alma, I am not coming from the perspective that the BOM is the "means" of salvation. I would never say that since a book can't save you, only the person behind its message, Jesus Christ. I would; however, assert that the BOM ought to contain all the information that is necessary for a person to obtain all that is offered in salvation. As I have already pointed out, the BOM does not contain those necessary doctrines.
You made the assertion that there were "plain and precious elements that were lost from the Bible." Then my question to you is, what exactly are those plain and precious elements? If they are that important shouldn't they at least be in the BOM? What exactly does the BOM contain that the Bible doesn't?
Matt, I realize that you're not coming from the perspective that the BoM is the means of salvation—that goes without saying; but you are superimposing your Protestant biblical paradigm onto Mormonism in concluding what you think the BoM should contain. Yes you have pointed out that it doesn’t contain essential doctrines, and my reply agreed that it doesn’t claim to contain every doctrine; but it does contain the “fulness of the gospel.”
My answer to your question is “No, the Book of Mormon claims that these ‘plain and precious’ elements would be found in additional books that follow publication of the Book of Mormon; consequently, they wouldn’t necessarily be found in the BoM.”
What exactly does the BoM contain that the Bible doesn’t? For starters, the premortal existence of the 12 apostles; the true doctrines of the Fall and the Atonement; the correlation of faith, works and grace; theosis; the correct mode of baptism; the need for priesthood authority and the process of ordination; the exact nature of the covenant of baptism and its relationship to the sacrament; the true nature of scripture; the fact that mortal life is a probationary estate, a promise from God on how to find out that it’s true and probably several dozen other concepts that don’t immediately come to mind at this instant.
Alma, Do you agree with me that the BOM doesn't contain all of the doctrines that are *essential* to the gospel message? I'm not interested in debating on whether the BOM contains *all* doctrines, just ones that are *essential* to the gospel message.
Also, you listed that the following are unique to the BOM and can't be found in the Bible.
"the premortal existence of the 12 apostles; the true doctrines of the Fall and the Atonement; the correlation of faith, works and grace; theosis; the correct mode of baptism; the need for priesthood authority and the process of ordination; the exact nature of the covenant of baptism and its relationship to the sacrament; the true nature of scripture; the fact that mortal life is a probationary estate, a promise from God on how to find out that it’s true..."
Can you show me where the BOM mentions the premortal existance of the 12 apostles, or the doctrine of theosis?
Also, I can find everything else that you mentioned in the Bible. I can even find theosis, but not the kind of theosis that Mormonism teaches.
No, I don’t agree that BoM doesn't contain all of the doctrines that are essential to the gospel message. The gospel message is Jesus Christ: That He is God, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for our sins and rose the third day. That is the gospel message. It doesn’t include all the ordinances nor who can perform them.
“Can you show me where the BOM mentions the premortal existence of the 12 apostles, or the doctrine of theosis?”
And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament. And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; (1 Nephi 1:9-11)
And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one. (3 Nephi 28:10)
“Also, I can find everything else that you mentioned in the Bible. I can even find theosis, but not the kind of theosis that Mormonism teaches.”
Well, that’s the problem isn’t it? In the Bible the doctrines are mentioned but taught in such a way that Calvinists, Arminians and Modalists all use the same book yet never will agree as to what it means. The BoM shows that the Arminians were right all along and shows why the apostasy was an accomplished fact. It teaches enough to demonstrate that God continues to give scripture to those who have ears to hear.
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