Many times, it is unfairly stated that Mormons do not believe in the Bible. How wrong that is! We do believe in the Bible. We use the King James Version of the Bible because we believe it is the version that is translated most accurately. We believe it was written by prophets of God and we believe in both the Old and New Testaments. We use them regularly in our church services, and we are encouraged to read the Bible regularly.
We also believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. We do not look at the Book of Mormon as a continuation of the Bible. In fact, we see it as a completely different set of scripture, that goes hand in hand with the Bible. We believe that the Bible and the Book of Mormon testify of each other. Or in other words, they do not contradict each other in their teachings.
So, where did this Book of Mormon come from? We were nicknamed the Mormons in the early organization of the church because of this sacred book that we believe in and feel we need to share with the world. In the simplest of terms, we believe that The Bible took place in Jerusalem, and surrounding areas on that continent, and the Book of Mormon took place during the same time period as the Bible, but in the Americas, or this side of the globe. We believe that there were people living on this side of the world that also had prophets that testified of Christ and his coming. They believed in Him, and they waited for the signs of His birth, death, and resurrection. The Book of Mormon, much like the Bible, contains records that these ancient prophets kept on this side of the world. We believe that when Christ said in John chapter 10 vs. 16, “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold” that he was referring to these people in ancient america that he also loved, and died for. We believe that after he was crucified, he went to visit the americas and teach these people as well.
It is often said that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. That is false. He translated the ancient records that the Lord gave to him through the power of God. Just like other men had to translate the Bible into English, and hundreds of other languages to be shared with the world.
We use the Book of Mormon a lot, but it does not take away from the bible. In fact, it helps to uphold the teachings found in the Bible, and we consider ourselves lucky to have this other sacred book of scripture, and that is why we want to share it with the world. If you’d like your own free copy of the Book of Mormon, go here.