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I had a question I was reading in the Bible isaha chapter 2 and at the description of the chapter it refers you to BOM 2 nephi chapter 12 and after reading them they are one in the same chapter //// What is the deal ? Skeptics would say see the KJV is in the BOM others would say we didn’t learn whatever lesson is to be taught from the Bible on that chapter so it is in the BOM does anyone have a better answer ??? Thanks. Critics will say that JS plagiarized the bible. Apologists will say that the Isaiah chapters were part of the record.
Critics will ask why the exact same wording appears in the BOM as in the JST (including mistranslations).
Some apologists have theorized that when JS came to a part in the BOM record that quoted from the bible – that he gave his peep stone a rest and looked up the bible passage. This may have been for simplicity and for the BOM to parallel the already familiar Bible record. Sometimes bible transcribers/translators did similar things to the biblical gospels attempting to harmonize the places where they were in contradiction.
However, we (as Mormons) already knew that the bible had errors. It is a little troubling that God would allow JS to import translation errors from the Bible straight into the BOM. If the role of JS was as “restorer”, then why didn’t God have him correct the errors at this time?
Perhaps there is more information to be revealed on the subject. Perhaps the revelatory/translation process of the BOM was much messier than we had imagined….
I see the Book of Mormon AND the Bible almost entirely as midrash. It solves this issue and allows me to enjoy both as scripture. Roy touched on most of the points that I would make. In my more orthodox days I used the near identicalness of the Isaiah chapters to give the translators and scribes a much needed pat on the back. Due to article of faith #8 and other ideas that crop up when we talk about the restoration we tend to assign ulterior motives to the translators and scribes of the Bible, they were up to no good and took out some of the more plain and precious things to further their personal causes or whatever. The stark similarities between the Bible’s Isaiah and the BoM’s Isaiah was an indicator to me that, “You know what, they didn’t do that bad of a job. We should be more grateful for what they accomplished.”
Of course that idea falls apart when you take a more critical view but if you live in the narrative it’s nice to be a little more merciful to the guys that sacrificed to preserve the Bible for our day.
In some ways I like the idea that the exact same lesson is repeated because we didn’t learn our lesson the first go round. I don’t like it when we use that idea to
createfault within ourselves but there is some good that comes out of repetition. Repetition can remind us of something we should be doing, it’s a reminder that it’s never too late to learn (i.e. we haven’t missed out on our one chance), and it can also be an indication that our ideas are much more finite than the time we have. 
It gets even stickier. Chapters 7 and 8 in 2 Nephi quote from Isaiah 50 and 51. But it is well accepted by bible scholars that verses 40-55 in Isaiah, called Deutero-Isaiah,I have learned that the BOM is just a fraud like Joseph Smith and the LDS church no other way to explain it !!!!!!!!!! No other religion has so many secrets or controversies , their I said it !! jgaskill wrote:I have learned that the BOM is just a fraud like Joseph Smith and the LDS church no other way to explain it !!!!!!!!!! No other religion has so many secrets or controversies , their I said it !!
I am trying to see the church as a process of faith building. People yearn for something bigger than themselves. They build up meaning and purpose from the materials around them. They start religions and it helps them to have fulfilling lives.
I am not apart from these people. I yearn for meaning and purpose, relationship and love. I know that I don’t have all the answers and so I hold the door open to what might be.
This would be so in any church. Yes, ours is uniquely quirky…but it is my tribe and my people.
jgaskill wrote:I have learned that the BOM is just a fraud like Joseph Smith and the LDS church no other way to explain it !!!!!!!!!! No other religion has so many secrets or controversies , their I said it !!
Don’t read anything into this that a sincere, “I hope your can find peace on your path!” Best of luck for you and your family.Quote:No other religion has so many secrets or controversies , their I said it !!
All religions have as many. Believe, me; I have studied them extensively.
I am not saying we have none or that it isn’t important to recognize or address them, but we are NOT unique in this. It’s easy to see it that way when we are immersed in it, but the shelf falls for all religionists who dig deeply into their religion’s history.
jgaskill wrote:I have learned that the BOM is just a fraud like Joseph Smith and the LDS church no other way to explain it !!!!!!!!!! No other religion has so many secrets or controversies , their I said it !!
I doubt you know other religions as closely and intimately as you do mormonism.There are many ways to explain it.
Keep studying. Keep your mind open. There is still more you don’t know about that may also disappoint you or enlighten you. It’s up to you.
Joseph Smith was a prophet, the Book of Mormon is scripture, the Bible is the word of God, and God loves you. There is peace in coming to know the truth.
Yes I am still studying, praying and learning as I hope we all are . I can find peace without digging any further but I’m not sure I want to do that , I would like to know more and why about the BOM !!!! I recommend the book “Misquoting Jesus.” We have a book review here:
http://forum.staylds.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1507&hilit=misquoting+jesus It offers a great overview at how the bible (and our understanding of Christianity) has evolved and changed over time. This helped me to understand how Mormonism stacks up compared to Christianity in general in regards to controversies and secrets. One could say that Mormonism is what Christianity was 1800 years ago.
I don’t know why the B of M would quote so heavily from a translation of the Bible that didn’t exist for more than a millenia after it was written, but I think that DOES explain why we wre so insistent on using the KJV and only the KJV, when most other Christian religions use translations that are more easily understood. (Thereis a certain irony to that – the whole point of the KJV was to make the Bible more accessible to lay people; 500 years later, we Mormons look down on Protestant religions who use Bible translations that are more accessible to lay people.)
I prefer the Net Bible. I use an app that lets me read KJV and Net versions side by side. It really gives so much more understanding and dimension to the scriptures. Along those same lines, Thee and Thou are supposed to be more informal. They used to be. In English, they have transitioned into the more formalized form of speaking. Other churches have moved to You, Me, Yours and Mine to focus on the close relationship we are attempting to have with God. It is odd to me that the LDS church has stayed with the more formal form of language. In other languages, the church translates into the more intimate, informal forms, but not in English.
As a youth, I was taught that it was a way to show respect to God. Apparently, only if you speak English do you need to be so formal and respectful.
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