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FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A FAIR Analysis of:
Book of Mormon: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual |
Lesson Two |
Disclaimer: The information provided here is a supplement to the lesson manual to assist teachers in addressing issues that might arise in the course of teaching. It is in no way intended to replace or supplant the lesson materials provided by the Church. It is intended only to be used as background information for prior preparation by teachers and should not be used in any way to replace correlated lesson materials.
Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual - Lesson 1: The Keystone of Our Religion
Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Some critics have said the Book of Mormon teachings of Christ are reflective of Joseph Smith’s environment, rather than an ancient Israelite's environment.
Response
Recent research actually shows that Book of Mormon teachings about the Messiah are consistent with ancient Jewish beliefs.
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
The title page says Jesus Christ is the “Eternal God.” Some critics say this is evidence that Joseph Smith started out as a modalist or Trinitarian.
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Some critics complain the Book of Mormon does not contain the “fullness of doctrine” or the “fullness of the gospel” because it is missing distinctive “Mormon” doctrines.
Response
“Gospel” or “doctrine” as used in the Book of Mormon is not meant to be comprehensive.
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Some critics say that praying about the Book of Mormon is not an “objective” means of testing it and that the Bible is the only standard that can or should be used.
Response
This idea is contradicted by the Bible itself.
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Critics say that “Moroni’s challenge” is circular reasoning. Such critics are actually engaged in some circular reasoning of their own.
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Moroni’s Visit: Critics have attacked the story of Moroni’s visit in various ways.
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Weight of the Plates: Some critics say the plates would have weighed too much to be lifted and carried as Joseph and others claimed.
Response
This assumes the plates were pure gold.
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
The Three and Eight Witnesses: Various criticisms have been leveled at the Book of Mormon witnesses.
Response
All of these have been responded to by faithful Latter-day Saints.
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Fraudulent Plates? Some critics suggest that Joseph Smith could have manufactured a fake set of plates.
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Thus, it is important not to impose modern standards and expectations on to the record. Of course we still can, and should, “liken” the text to our own lives, but at the same time caution must be taken to remember that “likening” is a tool for practical application, not a method of scriptural exegesis. Understanding this is important because many criticisms against the Book of Mormon rely on modern assumptions about the it, rather than what it actually says.
Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
“Most Correct Book”: It is claimed that because Joseph Smith said the Book of Mormon is the “most correct book” it should be error-free.
Response
These critics are taking this quote out of context. The introduction to the Book of Mormon itself notes that any mistakes in the book are the "mistakes of men."
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Textual Changes: Some critics point to textual changes as evidence of changing theology or covering up mistakes.
Response
Most changes are minor edits to punctuation, spelling, and grammar. The few more significant changes have been examined and discussed by knowledgeable Latter-day Saints.
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In the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, it says that the Book of Mormon is a “record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas” and that the Lamanites are “among the ancestors of the American Indians.” This opens up a number issues related to Book of Mormon geography, archeology, populations, and modern DNA studies. The following may be helpful to Gospel Doctrine instructors who would like to be prepared should any of these issues arise during their lesson:
The Introduction also mentions that the Book of Mormon was translated "by the gift and power of God." There are several issues related to the translation of the Book of Mormon that may arise. We have prepared several articles which address those topics [15]
Joseph Smith said very little about the translation process - only that it was done "by the gift and power of God." However, there are accounts available from others, which critics have recently put the spotlight on. Brant Gardner discussed this in his 2009 FAIR Conference presentation. [16]
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