Frank Jamerson
The “Times Daily” (Nov. 9, 07), carried an article entitled: One-word change in Book of Mormon speaks volumes. The change is in the introduction to the Book of Mormon that says: “After thousands of years, all (the Jaredites) were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” The new version says “they are among the ancestors…” Mormonism has taught that the American Indians were descendants of people from Jerusalem. The article said: “After testing the DNA of more than 12,000 Indians, though, most researchers have concluded that the continent’s early inhabitants came from Asia across the Bering Strait.”
With no archaeological evidence for claims of the Book of Mormon, they continue to assert that evidence does not “eliminate the possibility” that the American Indians came from Jerusalem. But the truth is that there is more than one change in the Book of Mormon. It claims to be “the most correct 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” (Introduction in Book of Mormon). David Whitmer described the manner claimed for God’s deliverance of the B. of M.: “I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English” (“An Address to Believers,” 1887, p. 12). This is copied from Jerald and Sandra Tanner’s reproduction of the original Book of Mormon—entitled “3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon.”
Although Joseph Smith professed his translation to be inspired of God, it was filled with grammatical errors! Some of the changes, however, are changes of words since the 1830 edition. Here are some examples: 1 Nephi 11:18 changed from (Mary) “the mother of God” to “the mother of the Son of God.” Mosiah 21:28 and Ether 4:1 changed from king “Benjamin” to king “Mosiah.” 1 Nephi 13:32 “state of awful woundedness” changed to “awful state of blindness.” 2 Nephi 30:6 “white and delightsome people” changed to “pure and delightsome people.” These are just a few of the changes in words that supposedly were given by God. Some Mormons claim that the witnesses of the Book of Mormon made up the story about it being given “word for word,” but David Whitmer said “it was Joseph Smith himself who taught that the Book of Mormon was dictated word-for-word” (“3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon,” p. 14).
One of the greatest flaws in the Mormon story is their teaching about the Priesthood. 1 Nephi 5:14 says Lehi was a descendant of Joseph, not of Levi. Nephi consecrated Joseph and Jacob (not the ones in the Bible), sons of Lehi to be priests. 2 Nephi 5:10 says they “keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses.” Then verse 26 says Nephi “did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people.” The Bible says: “So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death” (Num. 3:10). Nephi said they observed “the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses” (2 Nephi 5:10). The Law plainly says priests were to be from the tribe of Levi (Num. 3:6-9), and any outsider who assumed that office should be killed. So they lied about keeping “the commandments of the Lord in all things.”
The Bible teaches the priesthood changed. “Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law” (Heb. 7:11,12). Just as surely as we are not under the Old Covenant, we do not have Levitical priests! Christ Himself (being from the tribe of Judah) could not serve as a Levitical priest (Heb. 8:4), but Gentile boys in the L.D.S. Church claim to be Levitical priests. Jesus was “without father...mother…genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life” is the only one who qualifies for the priesthood of Melchizedek (Heb. 7)!